What Lies Behind Us
by Barrowight
Summary: Ed travels to the other side of the Gate, only to find a second Amestris waiting for him... and a second pair of brothers. But some things aren't as they were, and soon all the Elrics are caught up in a new fight. '03/Brotherhood fusion. (Cross-posted to AO3.)
1. Forgotten Days

**A/N:** As you might have guessed from the summary, this is an AU where the Gate in the 2003 anime (or Amestris-1) leads not to our world but to the Brotherhood anime (Amestris-2). The original idea came from Tumblr user ruinsofxerxes, so go thank her for that. I hope you like it!

* * *

_"Well, well. This situation seems familiar."_

_Edward found himself in the same featureless white expanse he had visited not too many years ago, dominated solely by the sardonic voice of the being some called Truth._

_"I suppose you're here for your brother?" Truth continued in that strange voice of his – hers – its? Never mind._

_"Yeah, you know the drill," Edward snapped. "Give him back! He's not dead, so I'm not breaking any taboos or anything -" Well, at least he _hoped _he wasn't. He wasn't sure he could take the pain of failing again._

_"You alchemists, always looking for a loophole," said Truth, though not without a hint of fondness. "That is correct. It is certainly within my power to return Alphonse Elric to the physical world. But what will you give me in return?"_

_"Anything," replied Edward without hesitation, showing Truth the six circles inscribed on his skin with his own blood – the very same as the ones he had drawn all those years ago. Guess he hadn't learned from his mistakes after all._

_"Fine. Then let it be done." Behind Truth's seated figure, the Gate opened - wait, hadn't the Gate been behind _Edward_? Was this some kind of trick?_

_"It's not a trick." Truth's voice, brusquely interrupting his thoughts, seemed to come from far away; Edward realized with a shock that he was already halfway through the enormous doors. "Welcome to the other side of the Gate."_

**AMESTRIS-2**

In another world, the sun was setting over Liore.

"That was a complete waste of time," grumbled Ed as he and Al walked off to the train station. "After all that hard work, we didn't even get the Philosopher's Stone."

"Oh, don't be like that, Brother," said Al. "We met a lot of people and took down a corrupt government… I'd say that was worth the effort. And Rose is right behind us, so you might want to keep your voice down."

Ed turned discreetly and saw her glaring at him from the top of the steps. _Oh_. Well, she'd stopped crying, at least.

"It's your own fault, you know," Al went on. "If you'd been a little less rude during your lecturing, maybe she would've liked us more."

"Those weren't _lectures_, Al, they were _valuable life lessons. _There's a difference. Anyway, I'm gonna have to buy a new coat after that fight with Cornello –"

"That wasn't his fault. You ripped it off yourself, remember?"

"It was for dramatic effect!"

A shrill scream split the air, stopping both brothers dead in their tracks. Ed whirled around, ready for another round of beration. "Rose, what the hell –"

"_It's under your feet!_" she shouted.

Ed looked down and suddenly noticed a massive glowing transmutation circle on the ground. He was standing barely within its rim; Al, mercifully, was outside. The unfamiliar lines and swirls began to shine even more brightly even as he watched. "There wasn't anything here a second ago," he muttered, trying to hide his growing panic. Somehow he'd walked right into a trap...no, that didn't make any sense. _Someone _would have set it off long before, and anyway, there weren't any alchemists in Liore.

Rose was running toward them and yelling something, probably a polite request to _tell me just what in the sweet glorious name of Leto is going on_, but was cut off by the appearance of an enormous, unblinking grey eye on the ground - one Ed thought he would never see again.

"It's just like...that day..." Al whispered.

Ed nodded, his heart in his throat. Sparks were flying now, enough to make his hair stand on end. It was too late to do anything other than watch. "Hey, um, Al," he mumbled, "if anything happens to me, just, just don't forget our promise, and how much I care about you, and, um, try not to pick up any cats, okay?"

"Brother!" Al wailed tearfully (metaphorical tears, of course). The whirlwind of energy emanating from the circle's epicenter grew and grew until it threatened to knock Ed off his feet. _I guess this is it,_ he thought, squeezing his eyes shut. A blinding flash of light, and -

_Whump. _The great eye shut, and the circle disappeared so quickly that it might as well not have existed in the first place. Ed was unceremoniously thrown forward onto a mound of desert sand. There was a short, excruciatingly awkward silence. Then Rose cleared her throat.

"So, uh, was summoning your identical twin part of the life lesson? Because I don't really see the connection."

"Whaa?" Ed sputtered, pulling himself upright. Then he noticed the unconscious, semi-naked teenager who had suddenly appeared directly in front of him and nearly choked (as it turned out, there was a lot of sand in his mouth).

Even without seeing the kid's face, the scruffy blond braid, automail, and (as much as he hated to admit it) below-average stature were enough to identify him as an exact duplicate of Ed. Except, of course, that made _no sense whatsoever. _"Wait, that's not - I don't have any - he doesn't - _who is that?_"

Al rolled the doppelganger over on his back and recoiled; streaks of blood stained his face, chest, and limbs. "Brother... what – what happened? What is this?"

"He - he might have been injured or something," said Ed distractedly, still grappling with the sheer impossibility of what had just happened. _A circle appeared out of thin air…this second Ed shows up from nowhere…and was that really the Gate?_

"He looks a little pale," Al said, sounding worried. "Maybe we should rest here tonight and get some answers."

"Let me guess," muttered Rose. "You want to stay at my place."

Both brothers immediately gave her their best pleading expressions - a bit of a feat, considering only one of them had a face. "Aw, Rose, I know I got carried away earlier," said Ed, "but you can't take it out on this poor guy, right?"

"If he's anything like _you_, I definitely can."

"Pleeeeeease?" begged Al in his good-little-boy voice. "We don't have anywhere else to go, and it's just for one night…"

Rose exhaled loudly and ran her hand through her hair. "Okay, okay. Just so we're clear, I'm doing this solely out of the goodness of my heart, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they responded in unison. Al picked up the still-unconscious other Ed (for lack of a better term), and the unlikely trio trekked back into the city. Rose led them through a network of alleys and side roads, explaining that the two of them would probably be attacked if anyone saw them now. "Especially Mr. I'm-An-Alchemist-So-I'm-Way-Better-Than-You," she added snippily.

As if on cue, the other Ed moaned weakly, causing all three of them to jump. "A-Al?" he whimpered, struggling to sit up. He had Ed's voice, which shouldn't really have been a surprise, considering his appearance, but Ed found it frankly unnerving.

Al shot them a nervous glance, unsure what to say. "Uh, it's me," he said tentatively. "Just – just hold on a second, we're almost there."

"So you're…okay," the other Ed sighed with evident relief. "Listen, I… I'm sorry, this was all… my fault…" He promptly went limp again.

"What was _that_ all about?" asked Rose as they went on.

"Beats me," said Ed.

* * *

At last they arrived at the back door of Rose's small apartment, which stood atop her equally small flower shop. "Here, put him on my bed," she said. "I'll go make some…tea, or whatever it is you like."

Ed was suddenly struck by a fantastic idea. "Do you have milk?"

"Only the powdered kind. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely," he replied with a completely straight face. Rose gave him a skeptical look but, mercifully, didn't question further as she hurried out to the kitchen.

"Brother –"

"Don't worry, Al, I've got it all figured out," said Ed as he plopped down on Rose's couch and quite deliberately turned his back on the bed. The feeling of staring at his own face was just too weird to contemplate.

Al stepped closer and examined the blood streaming down the other Ed's limbs. Then he gave a small, hitched gasp, which meant something was _really _important, since normally he didn't breathe. "Brother, come look at this."

"I'm a little busy facing the wall here –"

"Just come look!"

Ed rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Al pointed at the sleeping boy's torso. "See, he's not actually bleeding. The blood was drawn on."

_Come to think of it…_ Ed squinted at the dark red streaks scattered around the chest. The marks were smudged and barely recognizable, but he could definitely see the remnants of a circle there. The blood on his forehead and flesh limbs were probably the same. "It looks sort of like the arrays I used to get your soul back," he realized. "Not the exact shape, but pretty close."

"But… why? And why is he here in the first place?"

Ed shrugged and sat back down. "I guess we'll just have to ask him ourselves."

They waited for a few minutes in near-total silence, broken only by the other Ed's slow breaths and the muffled noise of the streets outside. Then, abruptly, the slow breaths morphed into a series of ungainly grunts.

"Nnngh – mmmph –"

Ed and Al rushed over. "Hey, you alright?" Ed asked cautiously.

The other Ed blearily opened his eyes, revealing brilliant golden irises just like Ed's own. "What's going on?" he mumbled. "Where am I?"

"We were kind of hoping you could answer that first question," said Al apologetically. "I'm Alphonse, and this is my brother Edward…"

"…and you are currently in the beautiful oasis town of Liore!" Ed finished. The other Ed's eyes widened in a horrified expression, which was definitely _not _what he'd been going for. "Come on, the place isn't that bad…"

"Liore?" the other Ed whispered. "That's, that's not possible. And –" it looked like he was beginning to grasp the situation "– and who did you just say you were?"

"I think you owe us an explanation first," Ed said, folding his arms. "_We_ were just on our way out of here when the Gate randomly opened and you dropped out covered in blood. That's kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

The other Ed completely ignored him. "So… this is what Truth meant, huh?" he muttered to himself. "The other side of the Gate."

"Truth? That bastard again?" Ed stopped short. "Wait. What do you mean, the other side? You're telling me you came from –"

"What year is it?" the other Ed asked abruptly.

"Um, it's 1914, last time I checked," said Al.

The other Ed nodded, his expression inscrutable. "I'm from the future," he announced. _That _was a conversation killer.

While Ed and Al were processing this information, Rose came back in with a glass of milk and some damp towels. "How is he – oh. Hi there."

"Rose?" said the other Ed, staring at her. "You look kind of pale."

She gave him a bemused look. "Do I know you? I mean, I know your face, obviously, but…"

"No, sorry," he corrected himself hastily. "It's just – you reminded me of someone I know. That's all." _More mysteries, huh_, Ed thought.

"Uh, alright," said Rose. "Anyway, here's something to wake you up." She handed him the milk, which he gratefully sipped – and then promptly spat all over the front of Al's armor.

"Brother!" Al cried in exasperation, reaching for a towel. "I mean, uh, whoever you are."

"Nah, he's the real deal," said Ed, grinning. "We know that for sure now."

"You could have just _asked_," complained the other Ed as he wiped his mouth.

"But what would be the fun in that?" Ed asked innocently before remembering what the actual purpose of this discussion was. "Okay, back on topic. You've told us how you ended up here – sort of – but you haven't told us why."

The other Ed merely smiled sadly and gave Al's still-dripping breastplate an affectionate knock. "What do you think? I did it to get my little brother's body back."

**AMESTRIS-1**

Alphonse opened his eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. He got the strange feeling that he'd been sleeping for a while, but that was ridiculous. He and Ed were far too busy putting the final touches on their theory for human transmutation – Al couldn't even count the number of nights he'd spent in that dank room at the end of the hall. But it would all be worth it to see their mother's face again…

"Al!" A female voice came down to him from above. _Mom?_ No, this voice was different. "Al, are you all right? Can you hear me?"

Al's vision cleared, and he became slightly more aware of his surroundings; he was in a hospital room, though not in any hospital he recognized. The voice belonged to a pink-haired girl leaning over him, wearing an elaborate (if rather disheveled) ball gown and holding a baby in her arms.

"Yeah, I'm – I'm fine," he managed at last, sitting up. "Who are you? And where's Brother?"

The girl drew back, her eyebrows furrowing. "Al, it's me, Rose Thomas…don't you know me?"

Al shook his head, bewildered. "Should I?"

The girl's – Rose's – expression became somber. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Brother and I were about to bring our mom back…" He trailed off, seeing the horrified look on Rose's face.

"That was…" She hesitated. "I – I don't know how to say this, but that was over four years ago."

The words took a second to register. "Four… four years?" Al said dumbly. He felt a huge black pit opening in his head – he couldn't exactly describe the feeling, but it was empty and _wrong_. "No way," he said. "I'd remember something, then, wouldn't I? I haven't gotten any older – "

"You should have." Rose wouldn't meet his gaze. "You were fourteen up until yesterday. Something must have gone wrong… I don't know. I'm not an alchemist."

_What happened?_ Al waited for her to continue, but she didn't, not for a long while. The pit grew larger.

"My mom," he blurted out finally. "Is she okay?" Rose looked up suddenly, and then he knew what the answer would be.

"The transmutation failed," she said quietly. "You lost your body. Ed lost an arm and a leg. The two of you set off to find a way to restore yourselves. That's what you've been doing these past few years."

Al studied the palms of his hands. They were in perfect order, just like they'd always been. "So then, Brother…"

"Ed's not here anymore," said Rose. "To be honest, I don't know if he's even alive. He traded everything he had to return your body to you, but something must have gone wrong…"

"…because I lost my memories," Al finished, the truth dawning upon him. His throat tightened dangerously. He hadn't cried in a long time, and he really, _really_ didn't want to do it now in front of her, even if she was supposed to be his friend. "So I spent all that time without a body?"

"Your soul was attached to a suit of armor, so you couldn't sleep, eat, or feel anything. Or cry, for that matter," she added, smiling. Al hastily reached up to wipe away the tears gathering in his eyes, but she gently took his hand before he could. "No, don't do that. You told me a while back that just being able to cry again was all you ever wanted."

Al couldn't imagine living that kind of life – you couldn't even call it a life; it was more like a cruel half-existence. The warmth of Rose's fingers on his wrist, the coolness of the thin sheets clinging to his body, even the stale breeze from the ceiling fan… what would it be like to lose all of that? He squeezed his eyes shut, and all the unshed tears reluctantly spilled out.

"I guess I have to thank Brother, if he – when he comes back," he said, sniffing a little.

"That might not be possible, Al," Rose murmured, letting go of his hand. _No, you're wrong, _he wanted to shout. _It's possible. It has to be! _But then, what did he know? He was just some country kid who'd gotten mixed up in a future he didn't even recognize. There was a little part of him that still hoped this was all just a bad dream, and he'd wake up soon and Ed would be there, and Mom too, and they'd all be happy… but it was stupid to wish for impossible things. Even Al knew that. He shoved aside those thoughts and bit his lip until the tears stopped. No matter what Rose said, it wasn't cool to cry in front of a girl.

Just then the door opened, and Al looked up to see an unfamiliar woman enter; she was wearing a casual black turtleneck, but her stiff posture and neat bun implied some sort of military position.

"I see you're awake, Alphonse," she said in a kinder tone than he'd expected. "It's good to see you in your real body. How are you feeling?"

Al realized that this was someone else he had forgotten. "I'm – I'm fine, but…" He couldn't bear to meet her gaze. "I don't know who you are anymore. I'm sorry."

"He doesn't remember anything since – the incident a few years ago," Rose said.

"I see." The woman's face grew solemn. It was silent for a moment. Then she bent down next to the bed and lifted up his chin to look him in the eye. "In that case, I suppose I need to reintroduce myself." She offered Al her hand, which he dutifully shook. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye. During your brother's time in the military, we spent quite some time working together."

"The military?" Al stammered, trying to picture the short, whiny, intermittently unwashed brother he knew marching around in a blue uniform.

"He became a State Alchemist," she explained. "The two of you decided to use military resources to search for the Philosopher's Stone so you could use it to regain your bodies."

_The Philosopher's Stone…_ "I read a little about that back in Resembool," Al said tentatively, "but I still don't know much. Did we find it?"

The Lieutenant sighed. "It's a long story. I actually came here to check on the colonel – Colonel Mustang, that is, you probably don't remember him – but I brought you your brother's belongings." She placed a worn briefcase on the bed. "You can look through that stuff until I get back. It won't take long. Then I'll tell you everything that happened, alright?" After giving him a quick pat on the shoulder, she hurried out again. Whoever this Mustang person was, he must really have needed her help.

Al sat up, still unable to shake the strange empty feeling inside him, and opened the briefcase. Inside was a rather comprehensive collection of black clothing, topped off with a bright red coat. _Why am I not surprised? _Al wondered with an inward sigh. Beneath all that there were some small necessities – a toothbrush here, a comb there, some snacks and a deck of cards – as well as a battered travel journal and a silver pocket watch that Al recognized as the emblem of a State Alchemist. Nothing much, really (well, aside from the watch).

"So… he really wore this stuff every day?"

"Naturally." Rose gave him a small smile. "_And_ he grew out his hair. It looked fine, once you got used to it, but…"

Al groaned mentally. That sounded exactly like the Ed he knew. When they were kids, long hair had been a chief topic of conversation.

_"Yeah, wouldn't that be awesome? I bet it'll even make me look taller!"_

_"But Brother, then you'll look like a girl. Plus, won't it get in your face?"_

_"I could braid it. And for the girl thing, if I wear black all the time, I'll look super cool! No one could ever mistake me for a namby-pamby like Winry in an outfit like that!"_

_"That's kind of mean. I thought you wanted to marry her."_

_"Shut up!"_

That hadn't been too long ago – no, if this really was 1915, then it was already far in the past. Since those days, everything had changed. _They'd _changed. Al suddenly felt very lonely. Before, he'd never been away from Ed for more than a day or two. Now…

"Hey, Al?" Rose said, breaking into his reverie. "What do you plan to do next? Once you get out of here, I mean."

He hadn't really thought about that yet. "Well, I guess I'll go back to Resembool and visit Winry and Auntie Pinako." He half expected Rose to tell him they'd died in a car accident or a house fire or something, but thankfully it seemed that wasn't the case. "After that – I dunno. Maybe I could find some way to get my memory back?"

Rose shifted her baby from one arm to the other. "Resembool, huh," she said thoughtfully. "What kind of place is that?"

"It's really rural, and there's not really much other than farms, but I think it's nice. Though a lot of stuff's probably changed since I was there," he added dejectedly.

"It sounds very beautiful," she said. "My home doesn't really… exist anymore, so I've been thinking over some options."

"Resembool's definitely the best," Al declared. "If you want, you could move in with me. I mean, my house is pretty big, and… since Mom and Ed are gone… there's plenty of space for you and your baby."

"That – that probably won't work," said Rose, without elaborating, "but you're right, there really isn't anywhere better than your hometown. If you don't mind, I could accompany you on your way back and see things for myself."

"Yeah!" Al cheered. He didn't know why he was so excited considering he'd only met Rose a few minutes ago, but whatever.

Rose excused herself to nurse her baby; just then, the Lieutenant – he didn't know whether to call her that or just 'Hawkeye' – reappeared, looking a little more strained than previously.

"How's Colonel Mustard?" he ventured, feeling guilty that he didn't care more about this once-known gentleman.

"It's Mustang," she corrected. "He's not in good shape, which is probably good for you since he'd have toasted you for messing up his name like that, but he'll live. I'm sure everything will work out." The last sentence seemed more directed at herself than to Al. "Anyway, you want answers, right? I don't know everything, but I can tell you what I do know. Although, well, the story wasn't always pleasant. Are you sure you want to hear the whole thing right now?"

Al nodded with more firmness than he felt. "If I could live through these past four years, then it shouldn't be hard just to listen to you talk about it." _I hope._

"Okay, then. After the transmutation was complete, Edward lost his leg in the rebound and traded his arm to affix your soul to a suit of armor…"

* * *

"…and a few seconds after he disappeared, you showed up in the circle, looking just as you do now." A full hour later, the Lieutenant had finally finished her tale. "Questions?"

Al's head was spinning and he thought he was on the verge of throwing up. Why he'd agreed to this, he had no idea. "So _I _was the Philosopher's Stone…?"

"Yes."

"And the Fuhrer was a homunculus?"

"I was surprised when I found out, too."

"And my _mom_ was a homunculus?"

"Not exactly. If you're confused about it, there's a homunculus recovering in the room next door. Wrath, I think – "

"It's – it's okay. And Brother never grew _any_ taller?"

"Maybe an inch or so."

Al flopped back down onto the pillow. This was all too much to take in – it was like an especially complex fairy tale. Sure, he himself featured in it at times, but this other Al, the Al that rescued chimeras and fought in big battles, seemed no more familiar to him than a character in a novel.

Hawkeye gave him another shoulder pat. "I'm sorry. I know it was hard to hear all that in one go." She stood up. "Well, it's getting late. I'd better go."

"Wait, Lieutenant…"

"Hmm?"

"Rose and I are going back to Resembool. Could you, um…" He twiddled his thumbs nervously. "…maybe loan us some money?"

Hawkeye's stern expression softened into a smile. "Oh, there's no need to worry about that. Edward left plenty of money in his research account, and I haven't officially reported his disappearance yet, so if you show the bankers _this_ – " she picked up Ed's silver watch and dangled it teasingly from her fingers " – I'm sure they won't mind taking out a bit."

Al scratched his head sheepishly. He felt a little bad about it… but not bad enough to refuse. "Okay, I'll do that. Thanks."

"My pleasure." Hawkeye paused for a moment on her way out and looked back at him. "I hope to see you again, Alphonse. If you ever need anything, just give me a call."

It was quiet again, or would have been if the fan wasn't so creaky. Al lay back and stared out the window. The sun was still shining; that hadn't changed, at least. There was still a hole inside him somewhere, a void that wouldn't disappear, but perhaps going back to Resembool would make it a little smaller. _Home is where the heart is, after all._


	2. Tracks

**AMESTRIS-1**

"Hi, I'm Alphonse Elric. I know we were mortal enemies a few days ago, but I'm over all that now. Nice to meet you."

It was morning, and Al and Rose were sitting on a train bound for Resembool. Rose was still wearing the dress from yesterday (it was alarmingly battered by now, but Al wasn't going to tell her that) and cradling her baby. Al, meanwhile, had been forced to put on the clothes he'd found in Ed's briefcase. He felt like he was drowning in an ocean of oversized black fabric, and probably looked like it too, judging by the looks he was getting.

Oh, and there was someone else here too.

Wrath, self-proclaimed greatest of the homunculi (this was technically fact, as the others were all presumed dead) had been thrust on them by the hospital staff. "You brought him here, ma'am," the doctor had said earlier, "so I'm afraid you'll have to take him too." Rose had grudgingly agreed, and now here they were. Unfortunately, as Al discovered, it was rather difficult to start a conversation with someone who had been trying to kill him not too long ago.

Wrath was staring stubbornly out the window, his chin propped in his one remaining hand. "Nice to meet you, too," he replied in a voice that quite clearly said _If I had two legs right now, you'd be deader than Dante._

"S- so, what do you like to do for fun?"

"Throttle annoying kids," said Wrath without missing a beat. Al gulped. He'd never _heard _of any one-armed, one-legged child murderers, but still… maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Just give it up, Al," Rose advised. "We've still got half an hour left. Why don't you take a nap?"

He _was _awfully tired; they'd gotten up at five to catch this train and he hadn't slept well last night – bad dreams, though he couldn't remember them now. Rolling up the sleeves of Ed's red coat for the thousandth time, he slid down in his seat and closed his eyes.

The wheels clattered on the track noisily, but the rhythm was almost soothing in its repetition. Al's mind slipped through the blackness that lay inside him, and –

_– trains, sunlight, Ed, Dublith –_

_"– Brother, are you sure it'll work?"_

_"I hope so –"_

_– something familiar there, but it's gone now –_

_– meadows, clouds, glinting metal –_

The train hit a bump, and Al awoke with a start. Not much time had passed, it seemed; Rose and Wrath were both still sitting just as they had been, except Rose and the baby were asleep now too. He rubbed his forehead, wondering what he'd been dreaming about.

"You up?"

Al jumped, then realized Wrath was talking to him. Actually talking to him.

"Um – yeah."

"Were you actually sleeping? 'Cause you were squirming around and mumbling to yourself. Pretty sure that's not normal."

Al felt vaguely embarrassed at the thought of Wrath watching him sleep. "I just had a nightmare, that's all." He couldn't remember any of it now, except that his brother had been in it, and there was a train, and – ugh, this was just like last night.

"Whatever you say," said Wrath, rolling his bizarrely purple eyes. "Dunno why you're so jumpy. You know I'm not _actually _going to kill you, right?"

"I _don't _know that, actually," said Al, more defensively than he'd intended.

Wrath regarded him for a second, looking strangely deflated. "Good point," he said finally. Then he turned his gaze to the window again. "Oh – this is the place, right? Reezemburg or whatever?" The train slowed to a stop. Al looked outside; the view was nothing but green hills and blue sky, as it had been for the past hour, but _these _shades of green and blue were special. "We're here!" he whooped, jumping up and grabbing Ed's briefcase. "Come on, Rose, let's go!"

Rose yawned and stretched. "Alright, keep it down. I have a baby, you know." She patted down the wrinkled folds of her dress, and wheeled Wrath down the aisle. Once they were off the train, all Al had to do was find out how to get from the station to the Rockbells' place. That turned out to be harder than it sounded.

After three wrong turns, five requests for directions, four instances of "Oh my God, is that you, Al?", and one overturned wheelchair (which somehow led to a messy three-way altercation in a haystack), Al finally spotted the old house on the top of a hill. It looked just as it had two days ago – no, four _years_ ago – right down to the peeling paint on the east side. He felt strangely relieved. Maybe, just maybe, things hadn't changed so much after all.

They came up to the porch. Al knocked tentatively. "Auntie? Winry? Are you home?"

"It's too early," came a groaning voice from indoors. The door was thrown wide open, almost knocking the wheelchair over again, to reveal a very unkempt-looking teenage girl. This was, in fact, Winry. "Can't you learn to take care of your automa –" She stopped and blinked several times. "Al?"

"Hi," said Al lamely.

Winry gasped and threw her arms around him. "You got your body back! That's amazing!"

"Uh, actually I –"

"Come on in, you and your… friends. Where's Ed, by the way? And why are you wearing his outfit?"

Al stepped over the threshold, feeling exhausted at the mere thought of explaining the whole thing over again. "Well, he kind of traded his whole life to get my body back," he said in a rush, tossing the briefcase onto the couch, "but it didn't work out because I lost like four years of my memories and Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye had to tell me my own life story and then I met Rose, except we already knew each other, and this is Wrath, who you probably know because you're glaring at him like that, and I'm wearing Brother's clothes because I don't have anything else, and I don't know where he is but he's probably alive. I think. Hopefully." He took a deep breath and found that his hands were trembling.

"You… you don't remember? And Ed's gone?" Winry's voice shook a little. "Idiots. I knew something like this would happen." Then she sighed and hustled the trio into the kitchen. "Granny!" she yelled in the general direction of the upstairs bedroom. "Wake up, we've got guests!"

* * *

Al slurped his porridge and took the opportunity to peer at Winry from over the rim of the bowl. The Winry he remembered was a chubby girl with a messy ponytail and red cheeks, prancing through the fields in flower-print dresses and periodically threatening to kiss him. Against all logic, he'd expected to see that girl again today. But _this _Winry was tall and slim and… pretty, though he stopped himself before his brain could go too far in _that_ direction. After all, he was four years younger than her now.

A low growling sound brought him back to reality. At first he thought it was Den, but the voice was… wait, was that _Winry_?

"I'm not giving _you_ any of my time," she was saying, brandishing a spatula at their resident invalid. "Not after you tried to _rip Ed to pieces_!"

"I didn't _ask_ for your time, lady!" Wrath replied, grinding his teeth so loudly that Al was surprised there weren't sparks.

"You don't even need food, why are you here – "

"'Cause I wanna be!"

"I don't care if you have one leg or whatever, you're a threat and I want you out of here –"

Al looked around. Rose had retreated to the safety of the living room, while Pinako was puffing away at her pipe with evident enjoyment. "Um, guys, can you stop fighting?"

"_Stop_ fighting?" Winry gave him an incredulous look. "You were the one who said he was a homunculus, he stole what belonged to Ed, and you were going to take it back, right?"

"That was the other Al. I mean… you know what I mean. It's not a big deal anymore, really."

Wrath scowled. "Yeah, alright. _Sorry_ I just wanted to live a normal life like you guys – "

"That doesn't even _begin_ to excuse –"

"Stop!" Al yelled as loudly as he could. The two of them whipped around to glower at him. "Please, Winry," he said in a lower voice, "Wrath isn't gonna stick around here for long, so you can put up with him for a few days, can't you?"

Winry sniffed and turned her back. "Fine. Granny, can you keep an eye on him? Al and I want to have some bonding time. Don't we, Al?"

"Oh, um… yes?" The lackluster answer seemed to be enough. Winry grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out to the front lawn before anyone could say anything. Then she let out a huge breath and lay down on the grass, all her previous energy dissipating like so many leaves in the wind. Al sat down next to her, wondering what this was about.

Nothing happened for a while. The grass shifted in the breeze, and he felt it tickling his hands. Out here on the hill, you could see for miles around – one farm after another, neat green rectangles stretching back to infinity, just like always. Here, Al could pretend for a moment that he was still ten, that Winry was still ten, that Ed was here and everything was going to be fine.

"You know," said Winry after a while, "I really am glad you got your body back." She turned on her side and smiled at him. She was wearing makeup. Just a little, but it startled him. When had that happened?

"It was all you ever talked about," she continued. "No, that's wrong – you didn't talk about it much, because it made Ed sad, but I knew you _thought_ about it."

"What was I like?" asked Al. "Was I… like I am right now?"

Winry thought about it. "A lot quieter. You were more levelheaded than Ed, more mature. Definitely a lot nicer. And you were a very good alchemist."

This Al sounded like some sort of hero, just like the one Hawkeye had described. Al found it hard to believe that _he_ was the one they was talking about. Could he be this person again? Would he ever get the chance?

He caught a glimpse of a dark ashy blur on a hill behind them, like a black smudge tainting the beautiful landscape, and remembered something he'd wanted to ask her. "Winry…"

"Yeah?"

"My house – that's where it was, right?" He pointed. "I thought I passed it on the way here, but the whole place was gone. That – that can't be right, can it?"

Winry's face fell. "You and Ed burned it down the day you left Resembool. To show that there was no going back."

_I… I destroyed it myself. My only home. _He felt another shock wave running through him into the empty pit. "We wouldn't do that. There's no way," he said, almost in a whimper. "That house is all I have left now!" Once he said it, he realized just how true it was. He'd lost his parents, his memories, his house, even his own brother. He felt lonely and stupid and sad, and then, worst of all, he started to cry again. Not like yesterday, though – it was real crying now, the kind of sobbing he hadn't done since his mom's funeral.

"I'm sorry, Al. I miss Ed too." Winry wrapped her arms around him. She was so much bigger than him now that her hug was enough to completely envelop him. "But you haven't lost everything. You still have all of Ed's stuff – I mean, you're even wearing it right now. You have me and Granny. And as long as you remember your past, it's never gone."

Al started to say something about how he _didn't_ remember his past, not really, but she cut him off. "It doesn't matter what memories you lost – you have to move forward. That's what you and Ed always used to say. _That's_ why you burned down your house. If he was here, he'd probably tell you the same thing."

Winry pulled back and dug a photograph out of her pocket. "I picked this off the board a few minutes ago. Thought you might like to keep it." Al looked down at the picture; its colors were still as vibrant and joyous as the scene it depicted. There was Ed, wearing a cocky grin, his automail limbs glinting in the sunlight. His face was still young, and his braid nothing more than a few short strands caught in the breeze, but already his face had a different edge to it that Al was sure hadn't been there before. He was sitting atop a large, intimidating suit of armor, which Al came to realize was himself.

"Was that really me?" _Wow. No wonder I wanted my body back so badly._

"Yep." Winry smiled and looked skyward, as if recalling something far away. "It was Ed's second or third time walking outside, I think, and we went out for a picnic." She paused. "I know you can't tell, but… you were having a good time, too. It was a fun day."

The helmet in the photo was turned slightly upwards, facing Ed. Its facial expression (if it could even be said to have an expression) was entirely stoic. Al would just have to take her word for it. "Thanks, Winry," he said.

Winry sat up and stretched. "So what are you gonna do now? Are you going to stay here?"

Al hesitated. "Well… I don't know, but I can't just sit still while Brother and my memories are still out there. That wouldn't really be 'moving forward', right?"

"You're starting to get it," she said, laughing. "But unless you're planning to become a State Alchemist, there aren't many people out there who can help with something like that."

"Yeah…" Al thought for a moment. Then something from his dream on the train flashed in his mind again, just a single word – _Dublith_. "Teacher!" he blurted out.

"Huh?"

"My old alchemy teacher," he clarified. "She knows a lot about these things. I bet she'll have some answers."

"Oh, the lady with the dreadlocks? I've met her," said Winry. "Izumi Curtis, right?" Al nodded. "I'll ask her to drop by tomorrow. She probably wants to see how you're doing anyway."

Winry stood up and started to head back inside, where she promptly started yelling at Wrath for putting his foot up on the table. (Ed had done that all the time, but that was beside the point.) Al stayed a moment and gave the photograph one last look. It was nothing more than a single snapshot, a picture of happiness frozen in time, but behind it there was a whole story. In that moment, Al knew more than anything that he wanted his brother and all those stories, all those days he'd forgotten, back where they belonged. And if there was one talent Al and Ed had in common (besides scarily large appetites), it was getting what they wanted.

_Wherever you are, Brother, I'll find you!_

**AMESTRIS-2**

Far away, another group of three was riding on a train – this time, to Central.

"So what are your plans for the next few days?" asked the other Ed, adjusting his (horrifically ugly) brown wig.

Ed shrugged morosely. "After giving Colonel Bastard the report, Al and I were going to do some more research on the Philosopher's Stone… after what you said, though, that's pretty much a dead end." Last night at Rose's place, the other Ed had told them all about the discoveries he'd made in his world, including what the Stone was truly made of. Ed still couldn't quite believe the speed at which his dreams had been snatched away.

"Oh, well," said Al in an effort to stay positive. "We're not totally out of leads, right?" He gestured to the other Ed. "Maybe something from his side of the Gate could help us."

"Not sure about that," the other Ed replied. "It was hard just getting here in the first place. The Gate's pretty much impossible to cross."

Ed wouldn't give up just yet. "No, hold on a second. Al and I both saw the Gate on… that day. And part of Al is still stuck there. If he managed to reach his body somehow, we might be able to, I dunno, bring the two Als closer together."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Al politely. "Actually, it reminds me of that 'Elric telepathy' thing you were talking about a while back – "

"That was a legitimate theory!" Ed cried. "And this isn't like that. You get pulled towards your body sometimes, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but only for a second. I can't exactly control it, either."

The other Ed rubbed his chin. "It's worth a shot," he said. "If Al could do it, you might figure out how to get your bodies back, and I'd find out if my brother's okay."

"See?" Ed folded his arms triumphantly. "_He _agrees with me."

"Of course he would," Al said in a very patient tone, "since he _is _you." Oh. Right.

"Wait, wait," said the other Ed. "I don't know much about this Gate stuff and I don't think you do either. We'll need help. Preferrably from a good alchemist with experience on the Gate."

They all thought for a second. "I don't know anyone else who's done human transmutation," Ed admitted. "I guess we could talk to our teacher." The thought made him cringe a little, but there were more important things to worry about.

"That's it!" The other Ed's eyes lit up, and Ed was reminded of how creepy it was to look into one's own eyes in the process of lighting up. "She did human transmutation – at least she did where I came from. Why don't we go to Dublith after this and ask her?"

"Perfect!"

Al still seemed skeptical. "Are you sure it'll work? My body's been in the Gate for a long time, but I've never felt a connection to the other side."

"I hope so," said Ed. "It can't hurt to try."

"If you sa…" He trailed off. They waited for a few seconds. "You were saying?" the other Ed prompted.

The armor jumped visibly. "Oh! Yeah, sorry. I just… I got a weird feeling for a second. Never mind."

* * *

A few hours later, Ed strutted into Mustang's outer office in HQ. "Yo, boss," said Havoc without looking up from his piles of paperwork.

"Wha – how did you know it was me?" Ed sputtered.

"Everyone else comes in normally," said Fuery, pointing behind Ed to the door, which had been flung open violently as usual. "See, there's even a dent in the wall from you doing that every time."

Ed peered at the flaking plaster. Yes, there was definitely a dent there. "Oops. Sorry. Well, I won't be here for long today. I'm just gonna give my report and leave."

"You know that always takes longer than you think," Falman commented as he tapped away on his typewriter. "Remember last month? You said it was going to take five minutes, but then the colonel made a height joke and we had to physically pull you out of the room an hour later so the nurses could treat your burns –"

Ed really didn't want to be reminded of that today. "This time, it's _actually _going to take five minutes. I promise." He took a deep breath, carefully pulled open the inner door (there was an even larger dent here, which he pretended not to notice) and casually strolled inside.

"Fullmetal. How pleasant to see you." That _voice. _Ugh, he was so full of himself.

Ed tossed his report on Mustang's desk. "Can I go?"

Mustang skimmed through the papers. "Your handwriting's much too sloppy. And you know I expect at least three pages."

"I was kind of in a hurry last night – "

"That's the fifth time you've made that excuse. You can't expect me to keep believing it." Okay, he had a point there. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to deliver it orally."

"Fine. So we went to Liore and checked out that Cornello guy, but the Stone turned out to be a fake so it was all pointless. The end." He conveniently left out the whole thing with the Gate and his identical twin, which made the story a lot shorter. Anyway, the other Ed had made some ambiguous warnings about the government – better to stay quiet just in case.

"Oh? According to what I heard, you also overthrew the entire local regime. Which was, by the way, _not _in my instructions."

"He was planning to start a revolt! What could I do?" To be perfectly honest, Ed was starting to regret that a little. The other Ed had been vague on the subject of his world's Liore (as with nearly everything else, damn him), but Ed got the feeling that whatever had happened there, it wasn't anything good. He didn't want to believe that he'd accidentally doomed the town, but…

"Are you listening?" said Mustang in exasperation.

"Huh, what?"

"See, this is why we can't have a good work relationship. _As I was saying_, you seem to have a habit of causing trouble where it's not needed."

"Whatever," grumbled Ed. "If you already know so much about what I was doing in Liore, what's the point of even making me do reports?"

"Sadly, they're required by the state," said Mustang, steepling his fingers into some sort of… chin tent, or something. "Now, as much as I'd like to continue this enlightening conversation, I have a few forms due at eleven." He patted a knee-high stack of paper on the corner of his desk. Ed looked at the clock. It was 10:56. Typical Mustang.

"Okay, great. Can I go now? Al and I kind of have to be somewhere –"

"What are you talking about? I haven't given you your next assignment yet."

Ed's heart sank. Guess Teacher would have to wait a bit.

Mustang extracted a file from his drawer. "We've received complaints from a town to the south. Apparently there was a large disturbance last night on a nearby mountain. A giant snake, some are saying. No casualties, but there was a request for a State Alchemist to investigate."

"And… what town is this?"

"It's called Dublith, I believe – "

"Yes!" Ed pumped his fist. "Thanks, I'll go check it out for you!" He grabbed the file from Mustang's hands and barreled out the door before the colonel could make a parting shot at his height.

"Edward, you should really be more careful with that doorknob," sighed Hawkeye as he reemerged. He'd completely forgotten about the dent.

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Ed guiltily brushed loose crumbs of plaster off the wall. "I'm gonna be on my way now. Al and I are heading to Dublith. Later, everyone!"

"Uh – bye –" someone said, but by then he was already halfway down the stairs.

Al and the other Ed were loitering inconspicuously outside the gate. "How'd it go?" asked Al.

"Pretty good. The colonel hit me with another assignment, but it's in Dublith too, so we can head out right away."

"Actually, Brother, the next train to Dublith doesn't leave till this afternoon."

"What? How do you know that?"

"If you'd been paying attention when we got off here, you would have known too." The smug tone in Al's voice was unmistakable.

"And people say _I'm_ the annoying brother." Ed rubbed his forehead grumpily. "Okay, forget that, then. Let's go get lunch or something. How about that sandwich shop on Ninth and Parker?"

Al groaned. "Please, no. The ceiling there is way too low. I can't even count the number of times I've had to fix the flowerpot hanging from the doorway."

"Okay, um, the soup place by the pharmacy?"

"We got banned for life last time for 'causing a ruckus' –"

"The lady called me short! I can't be expected to just sit there and _take_ it, can I?"

The other Ed waved his hands. "Guys, guys. I know the best restaurant ever. It's a little out of the way, but the food's fantastic. My brother and I used to go there every time we were in Central."

Ed and Al looked at each other. "Lead the way."

* * *

"This doesn't look like the best restaurant ever," Al commented fifteen minutes later. "Or a restaurant at all." They were standing in front of a boarded-up building that clearly had seen better days… probably about four hundred years ago.

"I'm positive this was the place," mumbled the other Ed.

"I guess it just doesn't exist in our world." Ed shrugged. "Sorry, man."

Al twiddled his thumbs nervously and turned in a circle, surveying the empty streets. "Let's go back. This area doesn't look very safe."

"Calm down," Ed replied (more loudly than he should have, but he was trying to cover up the complaints of his stomach). "We're in the heart of the country. What could possibly happen?"

At that _exact_ moment, they heard rocks clattering from above. A shadow glared at them from the rooftop… a shadow that happened to have a large X-shaped scar on his forehead. "_Scar?!"_ the other Ed cried. In broad daylight, no less.

All three of them took off. "It's all because you said that, Brother," Al moaned as they sped back down the deserted road. "It must be your curse or something – what's wrong? Why are you running so slow?"

"I'm starving, that's why," Ed gasped. "Hasn't this guy killed, like, five State Alchemists already? Hey, other Ed, how are we supposed to beat him?"

"Well, back in my world this doctor guy threw a Philosopher's Stone at him, but that probably won't happen this time…"

A crackle of electricity passed through the building on their left, sending rubble over their heads. Somehow they managed to outrun the wave, but at this point Ed really needed a few seconds to breathe. He dropped down and transmuted a barrier from the road. "That ought to put him in place for a while."

"He can deconstruct anything with that arm of his, didn't I tell you that last night?" yelled the other Ed. "Walls aren't going to stop him!" Indeed, with another flash of light the barrier collapsed in an opaque cloud of dust, making them cough. So much for a break. "Great, now you've done it. He's probably on top of us by now – "

An arm, filled so tightly with energy that Ed could practically feel it, suddenly came down upon them from above. "_MOVE, IDIOTS!" _Al shrieked at the top of his (metaphorical) lungs, aiming a blind kick at the man's ankles. Despite the complete lack of subterfuge available to a seven-foot-tall suit of armor, the move worked. Scar tripped in the most undignified way possible and landed hard on the cobbles.

The two Eds scrambled to their feet as the dust cleared. "Scar, wait!" said the other Ed. "We're not here to fight you. Please, can you hear us out for a moment?"

"I kind of thought we _were_ here to fight him – "

"Shh!"

Scar stood unsteadily and flexed his right arm. Now that the air was clear, Ed could see the strange black markings on it – like a transmutation circle, except… not. "Stay out of the way and I won't hurt you or the armored man," he growled. "I'm only here for the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Guess I'm outta luck, then, because…" said the other Ed. _He's really gonna do it,_ Ed realized, unsure whether to feel admiring or horrified._ He's actually going to dramatically rip his wig off in front of a serial killer –_

The other Ed dramatically ripped his wig off in front of the serial killer. "_I'm_ the Fullmetal Alchemist, too," he declared, "and you _are _going to listen to me."

Ed hadn't considered Scar the type to stand with his jaw hanging open, but evidently he'd been wrong. "I know about your brother," the other Ed continued triumphantly (where was that dramatic soundtrack when you needed it?). "And about Ishbal, and Kimblee, and what your arm really is…"

"Would've been nice if you'd told _us_ about all that last night," Ed muttered. Al made a noise of agreement.

Scar seemed frozen in place, his fingers trembling. "There's no way you could know about that – "

"It's kind of hard to explain, but I sort of came from the future." The other Ed paused, his tone growing more serious. "And over there, you turned out to be a pretty cool guy. You even saved Al's life once. I'm sure you're better than this."

Scar turned his back and said nothing for a long moment. They stood there, tense, ready for him to come after them again, but instead he made a low noise in his throat, almost a sob, and fled in the opposite direction. It was over.

Al breathed a sigh of relief as they began to head back to the more populated regions of the city. "That was quick. And kind of random. Good job there, Brother."

"Thanks," said Ed, "but it was really all the other guy."

"Um, I know. I was talking to him." Al shook his head. "This is just way too confusing. Maybe I should call you Brother and him Bigger Brother… you know, since he's taller than you by a little bit…"

It was all Ed could do to not beat up his sweet little brother right then and there. "Al, I swear you're the most annoying person on the planet." He turned to the other Ed, who was trailing behind them and gazing pensively at the floor. "Hey, you okay? Al's right, that _was_ a good speech. I should've taken notes."

"What? Oh, thanks. It's just – I feel like I messed him up more than I needed to. I said some personal things, and people don't really change their ways that fast anyway, so it was pointless." The words spilled out in a confused jumble, and Ed wondered if perhaps there wasn't more to the story.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," he said encouragingly, clapping the other Ed on the back. "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be a puddle of guts on the floor by now. Now put that wig back on and we're getting lunch. At the sandwich shop – _no complaints_, Al, you hear?"

"Fine. But you're fixing the flowerpot this time."


	3. Moving Forward

**A/N: **Just to make things clear, the Amestris-2 section of this chapter is narrated by 03!Ed. I apologize for the confusion - it's somewhat inevitable when you have two characters with the same name, appearance and general personality.

* * *

**AMESTRIS-1**

That afternoon, Al headed out to do some clothes shopping. This was of his own free will, which was a first; then again, he reasoned, any rational person would be desperate to get out of Ed's multilayered black ensemble after spending a whole morning wearing it. He still didn't know how his brother had managed for all those years.

Speaking of _managing_, that was growing harder by the second. The sunshine, which had been so warm and comforting earlier, felt more like an oppressive hand now. Well, if that hand happened to be really, really hot. (Al had never been good with metaphors.) Even with the red coat off his back, Ed's absurdly large jacket was still suffocating him, and he wasn't interested in taking _that _off since the only thing underneath it was a muscle tank, and he, well… didn't have muscles.

Al sighed and wiped his brow as he rounded the bend. At least he hadn't run into anyone so far. He was getting tired of having to come up with a story for one neighbor after another. "Well, you see, my brother messed up a transmutation circle and it, uh, it made me look younger. Yes, I feel fine. Where is he? Oh, right now he's… traveling. Yeah." It was frankly amazing that everyone had bought it so far.

He saw the town square not far off – a handful of stout little buildings surrounding a small fountain and some trees, not very different from what it had been – and trudged down the hill. Only a week ago (_four years ago_, he reminded himself) he and Ed had raced each other there, tripping over their feet halfway down where the slope steepened and then giving up altogether; they'd rolled the rest of the way, laughing about nothing. Al had gotten grass in his hair and he'd itched all over afterwards, but it had been worth it to take a few minutes' break from their research. _If only we could have taken a break forever_, Al thought.

He reached the bottom of the hill, still caught up in his loneliness, and used the red coat to mop up his sweat. (Sorry, Ed.) The store where he'd bought his clothes in the past was still there, occupying a cozy spot in the shade of a tall oak. Amazingly enough, the owner, a tiny, decrepit-looking woman who was possibly older than the planet itself, was also still there. "'Ello, little boy," she said as Al walked in. "What can I do for you today?"

"Just looking for some clothes," Al replied politely, inspecting the racks. It didn't take long to pick out some trousers, a few shirts, and a beige jacket. Not the most thrilling choices, but he had never been his brother anyway. "Um, do you have this shirt in a smaller size?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, it's in the back. Give me a moment." The old woman turned and began to hobble towards the storeroom… slowly. Al sank into a sitting position next to a pile of socks in the corner. He'd hoped the store would have installed a fan after all these years, but obviously that was asking for too much. The black jacket was clinging limply to his skin, and he felt exhausted, but even in this state he knew it was probably a bad idea to doze off here. Just a little bit longer, come on –

_– shadows falling on a small room –_

_– three brothers –_

_– three?_

_" – you two are both broke, so I win."_

Al's head jerked upward. He looked around, but the store was empty except for the old woman, who was still rummaging through the boxes in the back. Strange – he hadn't fallen asleep at all, he was sure of it. Maybe he'd just spent too much time in the sun, and now he was hearing things. He doubted it, though; that… pit, or whatever it was, still lurked inside him somewhere.

"Here you go, young'un," said the old woman, breaking into his thoughts. She handed him the shirt he'd been looking for. "Are you all through?"

"Yes, ma'am," Al said, digging through his pockets. Two cenz short. Hopefully she wouldn't notice.

* * *

"Back already?" said Winry when he returned, looking up from her work table. "The outfit looks nice. Fits your personality." Al nodded tiredly and tossed the sweaty mess that had once been Ed's clothes into the laundry basket.

"I called your teacher," she continued, "but she won't be here until the end of the week. You'll just have to find something to occupy your time until then."

"Okay." That wasn't too bad. Al needed to get into shape anyway, since Izumi would probably beat him up as soon as she got off the train. He tried not to think about that. "Hey, um, what are you doing right now, Winry?"

"Nothing much," she replied tersely, getting out her toolbox. "I've got a job coming up, so I'm preparing the stuff."

"A job? On who?"

Winry grimaced. "Our pasty little homunculus friend, of course. Who else?"

"Wait, you mean Wrath?" Al scratched his head. "I didn't know homunculi could get automail."

"Apparently he'll be totally healed up from the operation in three days," Winry said with a snort. "If you want to talk to him, he's outside somewhere with Rose." She turned her back to him. Al got the feeling she didn't want him around right now, though he hadn't the slightest clue why. He tiptoed out the door and went around to the side of the house, where he found Wrath slouched in his wheelchair, staring into space. Rose was sitting silently next to him. Al realized he wasn't quite in the mood for small talk, but it was too late to turn back.

"Hi, Al," Rose greeted him as he approached.

"What do you want?" Wrath grumbled. "Oh, wait, you're here to question me about automail, right?"

"No!" Al said quickly. "Except, um, yes."

The boy lazily flipped a strand of black hair over his ear. "There's not much to say. I just want to get out of here, and your girlfriend's grandma suggested it – "

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"– whatever, your _lady friend_'s grandma then." Wrath's expression turned stony. "Dunno how much you remember, but… I don't plan on being here when that woman shows up."

Al recalled Hawkeye telling him that his teacher's human transmutation had created Wrath. Maybe. To be perfectly honest, the details were starting to blur together. "Won't it hurt to have the surgery done that fast, though?"

"Nah, I'm a homunculus. If your lousy brother could do it, so can I."

"That's not very nice," Rose chided. "Anyway, Al, I guess this means you'll be leaving soon too."

"Yeah." Al sat down against the wall and drew up his knees. Here in the shade, it wasn't as hot, and one could get a great view. The rolling green wave stretched out before him towards the horizon, where they faded into a line of mountains marching off into the distance. Up above, a few little clouds trundled idly through the sky. (Not enough to block out the sun, unfortunately.)

"Resembool really is a great place," said Rose, stretching. "I hate to say it, but it looks much better than my hometown. And the temperature is nice, too." Al wondered what sort of place Liore was if _this_ temperature counted as nice. "Are you really planning on leaving?"

He remembered what Winry had told him that morning. "I have to move forward, if I want to find my brother again and get back what I lost."

"Move forward, huh?" Rose smiled. "Sounds like what Ed told me that day. What _you _told me."

She was remembering something, Al realized, something he himself couldn't. He felt an irrational sort of jealousy.

"You can't move on, though," said Wrath suddenly, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "If you're just out to find your memories, that's not moving forward. That's looking behind."

Al stopped to consider that statement. It was true that everything he wanted was a part of his past, but… "Still, if you don't look back every now and then, you can't tell where you're going. Paths have a beginning and an end, don't they? You need both."

"If you want to put it that way, sure." Wrath was still steadfastly avoiding his gaze. "But it's not that easy to get what you want."

"Plenty of people don't," Rose agreed. "I'm not trying to crush your dreams, Al, but maybe it's not possible to bring back those times."

_Of course it's possible. Anything's possible!_ He forced down those words and settled for something else. "Maybe, but I have to try. Even if it means going backwards." He squinted at the hill where his house had once been. A depressing sight, but it was a reminder too. "That's what Brother and I _do_. I mean, that's what we do according to what Winry said. I don't actually know." That last part ruined the moment, kind of, but speeches, like metaphors, weren't really his strong point anyway.

Wrath yawned. "I think I'm done with deep conversations for now. Especially with someone who was out for my blood a week ago."

"Oh… right. Sorry."

"_You_ haven't done anything, stupid. Come back and apologize when you get your memories. I'll be happy to beat you up then." Wrath settled back in his wheelchair and closed his eyes. Al knew homunculi didn't sleep, but he went along with it. It was probably the best he was ever going to get out of this kid. "Hey, Rose," he asked, "do you want to go back in?"

"You go on ahead," she said, waving a hand. "I'm relaxing." Al made a face (she really _was_ crazy to want to relax in this heat) and left the two of them alone. He walked back up to the front porch, the door still ajar as he'd left it, and was about to push it open when he heard a noise from within. _Winry?_

Al peeked through the open door. It was dark inside – all the curtains had been drawn up tight – and he took a few moments to find Winry, still sitting at the table, hunched over something gleaming in her palm. It was Ed's silver watch. As he stood there in confusion, Winry pulled out her tools and went to work on it. She was muttering to herself, twisting the watch's lid with a vengeance, and Al wondered if he should say something. Before he could, there was a faint popping sound, and the watch opened. At this, Winry bent over even further, obscuring what was inside from Al's view, and then, to his surprise, started to cry softly. She'd seemed strong earlier, talking with him as they lay on the grass under the morning sun, but Al had forgotten, somehow, that she had feelings too.

"Ed, you idiot," he heard her murmur through her tears. "You promised me…you promised him… and… and you're gone… stupid idiot!" She slammed the watch back down on the table. Al's fingers flinched involuntarily, and the door creaked. Winry looked up, her eyes puffy, and saw him.

"Al, were you…"

"I – I didn't see much," he said hastily. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but – "

Winry laid her tools down and dragged a hand over her face. "It's no big deal," she said, closing the watch firmly. "Just going through his things." Al was about to ask what was in the watch, but he thought better of it. Perhaps it was better if he didn't know for now.

There was a heavy silence, punctuated by quiet sniffles. Al had no idea what to say. The last time Winry had cried in his memory was when a bully had stolen her pocket money back when they were nine. Then, he had offered her a tissue and walked her home while Ed went to go beat up the offending boy; now, everything was different. This Winry was almost an adult now, not a little girl, and there was no one to beat up. What were you supposed to say when grownups cried?

"I'm sorry," Winry said finally with a rueful laugh. "I know this is dumb, crying about a watch."

"It's not!" Al blurted out, more vehemently than he'd intended. "I mean, I don't think that's dumb. The watch is important, right? It's… it's like a memory, sort of. A reminder. Like that picture you gave me." _Like my house._

Winry gave the silver watch a long look. "I guess you're right," she said, then hesitated. "Not the watch, though, not really. The thing inside is the real memory." Al's curiosity was burning at a peak level, but he clamped it down. "Ed never told you about it, even after all these years. If – when he comes back, ask him about it then, okay?"

She exhaled and then grinned suddenly. "It's getting late. Tell everyone to come in for dinner. I made apple pie – your favorite, right?"

"Yay!" Al followed her into the kitchen, shooting one last glance at the watch, still lying on the corner of the table. Even after being brutally tampered with, it shone as flawlessly as ever it had. Al tried to put it out of his mind for the time being. Izumi was coming, and he'd have to brush up on his alchemy before she showed up.

After dessert, of course.

**AMESTRIS-2**

"What do you mean, she's not here?!"

Mason shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, man. Izumi and Sig are out touring the countryside. They told me they'd be back by Saturday. Probably. I'm just here to man the store."

Second Ed – the one native to this universe, that is – groaned loudly. "Thanks anyway," Al added hurriedly. "It's nice to see you again."

"Same here," said Mason, giving him a fist bump. "Are you guys just here to visit or what?"

"Nah, we're also checking out the disturbance from last night," said second Ed. "A giant serpent or something."

"Oh, that?" Mason exhaled. "It was causing a huge ruckus earlier up on Seluna. Didn't see it myself, but the rumble knocked out half my best plates. Seems like it's calmed down for now, though." He paused. "Man, it sure has been a while. I can't believe how much you guys have grown. Especially you, Al. What's with the armor?"

"It's for… protection," Al said lamely.

"And who's this guy?" Mason nodded at Edward – the one who had traveled through the Gate and was now wearing a questionable brown wig, that is.

"A… friend. He's a friend. Yeah." Al coughed and elbowed Edward in the side.

"Oh! Hi, Mason. I'm, uh, I'm Lionel. Nice to meet you." Edward gave the man what he felt was an extremely unconvincing smile. Judging by the raised eyebrow he received in return, the feeling wasn't out of place.

"You too," Mason said at last before glancing at the clock. "Sorry, guys, but I really have to get back to work. Mind catching up later? Maybe tomorrow?"

"No problem!" they replied (a little too eagerly) and bolted.

Outside, the trio held a sidewalk conference. "Okay, what do we do now?" asked Edward.

Second Ed rubbed his chin. "It's only four o'clock," he said. "Let's go check out this serpent thing on the mountain so we can get the colonel's assignment out of the way."

"I thought we wanted Teacher's help in case it turned out to be dangerous…?" said Al doubtfully.

The two Eds made very similar snorting noises. "Pshh, relax. We're great alchemists, all of us. It's perfectly safe, right?"

"Don't even go there," Al muttered, probably remembering the whole fiasco with Scar (which, coincidentally, had _also _started with one Edward or the other making a broad statement about safety). Unfortunately, being the younger brother, he was automatically outvoted. At once, with the sun still high in the sky, the three set off for Seluna's Peak.

As it turned out, "peak" was a bit of a misnomer; although Seluna seemed to tower over the city if you looked at it from one angle, it wasn't much more than a small plateau. It took less than an hour to get to the top, even with shrubs and thorns underfoot.

They stopped for a break on the outskirts of a small farm, just one of many laid out on the flat top of the hill. Like the rest, it had been evacuated some hours ago. The meadow was quiet, with only the faint rustling of grain to interrupt the silence. Edward pulled off the wig and let his hair blow around in the breeze.

"You shouldn't do that," Al scolded. "We might get seen."

"But it feels good!" That wasn't a very strong comeback. "A-and there's no one here, anyway. Please?"

"If I could roll my eyes, I would," came the long-suffering reply.

Second Ed took a swig from their waterskin. "Still haven't caught sight of the snake yet," he said, idly tossing some pebbles from one hand to the other.

"We should have seen it, or felt it at least, on the way up," Al commented. "Aside from some uprooted forest, there's no sign of it."

Edward frowned thoughtfully. "And how did something that big get here anyway? Unless it magically teleported somehow – " He stopped, his mouth still hanging open mid-word. The disturbance had started last night… and _he'd_ shown up here last night. Could it be? "Guys, I think this thing might be from my world."

"Seriously?" Second Ed whistled. "So someone _else_ made a bargain with Truth?"

Edward shook his head doubtfully. "Dante can open the Gate too. She might have sent one of the homunculi – I can't think of anyone else she hangs out with." Well, that wasn't quite true; he had a feeling Hohenheim was mixed up in this somehow, but he didn't feel right telling them about that. Not yet. "In any case, whatever the problem was, it seems like it's gone. Just like Mason said."

"If you say so." Second Ed stretched. "Let's go. We can come back later with Teacher." He and Al stood and trudged back towards the path. Edward stayed a moment, gathering his hair back inside the wig. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark green mass moving through the field and jumped up – but there was nothing there, just the same golden-tinted meadow that had been there before. _Quit being so paranoid,_ he thought, and put it out of his mind as he hurried to rejoin the others.

* * *

Based on Edward's suggestions, it was decided that they would spend the night at some inn a few streets away.

"This better not turn out like your _last _suggestion," second Ed said as they headed down the street. As it turned out, the inn was still extant and open for businesss. They went inside and booked a double room (second Ed grumbled about the extra cost, but with three of them present, there was no way around it). Here they settled in for a long evening. The place was… decent, he supposed, and relatively insect-free, which was more than could be said for the brothers' apartment in Central. At least the long evening wouldn't be an itchy evening.

Second Ed and Al reclined on the sofa, bantering as usual, while second Ed filled out some forms to send to the colonel. Edward lay down on his bed and stared up at the blank ceiling. After a while he tuned out the sound of their voices. Their talk reminded him too much of all the things he'd left behind in his own world just a day ago. It was all so sudden. No matter how familiar everything here was, the people and places _he _knew were so far off that they might as well have been on the moon. All part of Truth's deal, of course – and he didn't know if it had paid off.

Even this pair of brothers was different. They were a year younger, optimistic and carefree, even after discovering what the Philosopher's Stone really was. That particular tidbit hadn't fazed them much, but Edward still hadn't told them everything. They didn't know what homunculi were (though he was holding out hope that in this world things worked otherwise). They didn't know what had happened to Liore, and to Rose. They didn't know their father was a bodyjacking scumbag in a relationship with a crazy megalomaniac. If they _did _know, it might crush them, and he couldn't bear to see that happen. Not again.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Ed snapped back to reality. "What?"

Second Ed was looking at him from the couch, arms folded. "Dunno what you're doing just lying there like that, but anyway. Al wanted to know if you ever bought him a kitten."

"A kitten?" Edward blinked slowly. "Obviously, Al, I never bought _you _a kitten since I just met you two days ago – "

"You know what he means!" Al cried, flailing his arms. "Did you ever buy _your Al _a kitten?"

"Of course not, we didn't have the time or resources to take care of pets, everyone knows that – "

"See?" said second Ed triumphantly. "I told you, it's perfectly reasonable."

" – although I was thinking of getting him one before the whole fiasco started." He hadn't been, actually, but he didn't mind adding a few logs to the flames of war burning here.

Al gasped theatrically. "Brother, even your other self said he's okay with it! See, you're the only one being so stupid!"

"No way!" second Ed sputtered. "He's a totally different person from me!"

"He _is _you and we both know it! You're just a evil kitten-hating person, that's what you are!"

"Oh, please, you're just making things up now. I love animals so much I even volunteered at that shelter once, remember?"

"You were just trying to impress Winry!"

"What?! That's not true!"

Edward rolled his eyes but couldn't resist a grin. "Okay, okay. Let's do something else before we wake up the whole town."

Al still looked put out (well, he didn't _look_ put out, of course, but – never mind). "Like what?"

They thought about this. "Hey, how about cards?" said second Ed, pulling his well-worn deck from his briefcase. "It's been a while since we've done it with _three_ players, right, Al?"

"But you always cheat!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," second Ed sniffed. "Even if I did cheat, and I totally don't, it wouldn't help because other Ed here would know."

"Yep," Edward chimed in as earnestly as he could. He promised himself he'd rein himself in and play fair, just this once; Al deserved that much, right? Hopefully second Ed was following the same train of thought.

It soon became abundantly clear that he was not, in fact, following that train of thought. Edward saw, actually _saw_, his other self casually slip a card or two up his sleeve. So much for brotherly love. But it would be rude to speak up, wouldn't it?

"Okay, this time I've got it," Al said proudly, laying out his hand. "A straight, how's that?"

"Wha – no way!" Edward moaned, pushing his pile of change in Al's direction. "I thought I had it for _sure_ this time!"

Second Ed chuckled rather menacingly. "Now wait just a second." He showed his hand, revealing…

"You've gotta be kidding me!" yelped Al. "Four of a kind? You cheater!"

"That's no way to talk to your big brother. Hand over those cenz." Second Ed stuck out his hand. Instead of relinquishing his winnings, however, Al grabbed his arm and shook it viciously. Several cards fell out. An awkward silence followed.

"I knew it!" Al cried, scooping up second Ed's coins. "All right, you two are both broke, so I win." Suddenly he stopped and tipped his head to one side.

"Al, you okay?" asked Edward.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He hesitated for a moment. "It's just… I felt something strange a second ago. I can't really describe it, but it was like someone watching me."

"Watching you?" Second Ed narrowed his eyes. "That's weird."

"I got the same feeling on the train this morning, but I don't know why. I guess I'll ask Teacher about it tomorrow." Al cleared his nonexistent throat loudly. "Back on topic… you're a cheater! _And_ you won't let me get a cat! _I WON'T FORGIVE IT!_"

Before second Ed could offer a rebuttal, a pillow hit him in the face. "You traitor brother!" he yelled. Within minutes, pillows, coins, loose cards, and anything else the room had to offer were being appropriated as instruments of war. Edward sighed and climbed back into bed. _Were Al and I ever this stupid? _He knew the answer to that one right away – of course they had been. These brothers here were exactly like them in every way. But he thought of the Al he knew, out there a hundred thousand miles away. _This_ Al could never replace that one, no matter what they had in common. Nothing could.

Back when they'd burned down their house, years and years ago, he'd promised himself he'd remember that day and all that they had lost. It was even written inside his watch – _don't forget_. But, even then, there wasn't any point in wallowing in the past, not when there were things to be done. He had to get up and keep going, no matter what. _Keep moving forward,_ he thought, _that's what we used to say. _

Edward made a vow then, lying there on the stiff mattress, that he would take everything back. All his mistakes, all that Truth had gotten from him, everything – that was behind him now, and he didn't care much for what lay behind him.

_I'll keep going and I'll come back for you, Al, you hear? That's a promise!_


	4. First Meetings

**A/N: **The 'epilogue' of sorts in the 2003 anime seemed to take place quite some time after the story's conclusion - this of course extends to Izumi's arrival in Resembool and agreement to train Al. To avoid timeskips and keep both worlds on the same page, I moved the event up a bit to just a week after Dante's defeat. Hopefully this doesn't bother anyone.

* * *

**AMESTRIS-2**

It was just past dawn, and the three Elrics were strolling down the streets of Dublith at a very unhurried pace.

"Can't you two walk a _little_ faster?" the other Ed muttered under his breath. "Look, I had this exact conversation with her in my world, and it went perfectly that time."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Al wailed, clutching his helmet. "Even if our Teacher's done human transmutation like yours has, she'll still beat us up and you know it!"

"Good thing I already wrote out my will last month," Ed said in a gloomy voice.

The other Ed rolled his eyes and tugged his wig tighter around his head. "For crying out loud… I just said it's going to be fine! Don't you guys trust me at all?"

"We just met you, and you still haven't told us everything you know," Al pointed out.

"Yes, I have!" The other Ed's lips drew together into a familiar pouty expression.

That definitely wasn't true, but Al decided not to press the issue further; the other Ed probably had a good reason to keep quiet. _Probably_ being the key word.

They turned the corner, and – oh no, there it was: the Curtises' butchershop, small but stolid in the brightening daylight, with no sign except the (faintly ominous) MEAT written in large letters over the roof. Al could hear his knees knocking together like some sort of metal percussion set, and he suddenly felt very glad, for once, that he couldn't spontaneously burst into tears.

They crept up to the door. "Are you ready?" Ed whispered, his hand shaking slightly as he reached for the doorknob.

"She's not gonna kill us… right?" Al said.

"Just do it already," said the other Ed with a sigh. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see us."

Ed took a deep breath and pushed the door open. "Hi, Teacher!" he said brightly. "It's Ed and Al! We came to visit!"

"Well, well," came a voice from within. "You two really have grown…" Izumi Curtis emerged from behind the counter, her hands on her hips in a pose that was somehow still menacing even though Al was now a foot taller than her and made of metal. She stopped a few feet away and looked them up and down. Then, abruptly, she reached out and punched both of them into the wall. "Too slow!" she barked. "I thought I taught you two better than this!"

"Sorry – " Ed stammered.

"We, um, we've been training hard, promise!" Al squeaked, getting to his feet.

The glare Izumi shot him was possibly enough to melt the moon. "Seems you've been slacking off lately. Come on in, I want to talk. Oh, and your little friend can come in too."

The other Ed, who had wisely ducked behind a pile of crates, tiptoed through the door. The four sat down at the kitchen table while Sig made coffee.

"So." Izumi made the word sound like a tolling bell of doom. "What have you been up to?"

Ed coughed. "I, uh, became a State Alchemist. We've been traveling around."

"A State Alchemist?" Izumi scowled. "Didn't I tell you precisely _not_ to do that?"

"I know! It's just… we, uh, I had to do it, because, um. Because…" He took several deep breaths.

"Come on," said the other Ed out of the corner of his mouth. "You promised you'd tell her."

Ed squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out, "Becausewedidhumantransmutation!"

No one said anything for a few seconds, which was, in Al's opinion, the scariest possible thing. Izumi sat back in her chair, arms folded tightly. "I see." Her gaze shifted from Ed to Al and back. "That's what I guessed, from how your bodies felt when I threw you a few minutes ago. You have automail, and _you_ don't have a body. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Al said quietly, all too aware of how his voice echoed hollowly inside him. Then he looked up, just in time to be punched into the wall again.

"Teacher!" Ed cried, his head having narrowly missed a bookshelf. "That was a little unfair…"

"Idiots," Izumi snapped as they sat back down unsteadily. "After all my warnings, all I tried to teach you, you did it anyway? And_ then _you sold your soul to the government? I can't believe it."

"But if I hadn't signed up, there wouldn't be any way to get Al's body back," Ed said pleadingly. "We were looking for the Philosopher's Stone – "

"A myth," she said, cutting him off. "You can't restore what Truth has taken away. Believe me, I know." She doubled over suddenly, coughing, and spat a few flecks of blood into a basin on the counter.

"Teacher! Are you okay?" said Al worriedly.

She waved him off and returned to her seat. "As I was saying. Your determination is admirable, but you violated the taboo – " her hand moved down, almost involuntarily it seemed, to her abdomen " – and that's the price you had to pay."

Al looked down, first at his giant hands resting in his lap, then at Ed's hands across the table. His gloves were on, but as he shifted slightly there was a brief flash, barely a twinkle, of metal.

"But we have to get our bodies back," he burst out. "How can we just go on with our lives, knowing we made that mistake? That's not who we are, right, Brother?" Next to him, he thought he heard the other Ed's breathing hitch, just for a second, and wondered if he'd said something wrong.

"Yeah, that's right," said _his _Ed in the meantime, giving him a grin before turning back to Izumi. "I know we messed up, but we actually need your help right now, so… can you forgive us? Please?"

Izumi's brows furrowed for a long while. Her hand was still resting on her stomach, Al noticed. "I suppose I shouldn't be too angry," she said finally. "The two of you followed my example even better than I'd thought." So the other Ed _had_ been right about Izumi doing human transmutation. "But even so," she continued, "I can't excuse behavior like that. Especially from my own students – "

"Wait, don't expel them!" the other Ed interrupted, speaking up for the first time. "We're not done yet!"

Izumi whipped around to glower at him. "How did you know I was going to do that? And who are you, anyway?"

"I knew because, uh, you did it to me a while back. And about who I am…" The other Ed bit his lip. "That's actually why we're here. It's kind of a long story, but I'm Ed. I mean, I'm also Ed. Like, from another dimension." This explanation didn't seem to be very satisfactory.

"What?"

"He came here through the Gate," Al said in a vain attempt to clear up the situation. "It's like equivalent exchange for my body. Um, not _my_ body but his brother's body. I think."

"Yeah," Ed chimed in helpfully. "He really is me. I've got him all checked out. He knows my favorite flavor of ice cream, the brand of oil Al uses to fix his joints, the name of that one kid in Resembool who always stole my homework, everything. Also, he looks like me too. See?" The other Ed took off his wig, revealing his shiny golden tresses. "It makes total sense, doesn't it?"

There was another pause.

"Coffee's ready," said Sig.

Half an hour later, Al was reasonably sure everything had been discussed thoroughly. (Everything the other Ed had bothered to tell them, anyway.)

Izumi sipped from her mug thoughtfully and examined the detailed series of flowcharts the other Ed had drawn on the table. "Well. This defeats the point of my entire lecture, doesn't it."

"Not at all," the other Ed said cheerfully. "You said pretty much the same thing to me and Al in our world. I think these two needed to hear it."

Ed snorted. "We really didn't. Anyway, before we get down to business here, we should deal with the thing up on Seluna's Peak first."

"What thing?" asked Izumi. As if in reply, a distant rumble rippled through the earth. Sig's kitchen knives quivered slightly.

"A snake, people are saying," the other Ed said as the vibrations ceased. "We went to have a look a few days ago, but there was nothing there. We were hoping you could accompany us today."

"Me?" Izumi laughed. "I don't know what help I'd be, but if that's what you want, then I'm all for it." She gulped down the rest of her coffee and rubbed her palms together. "Let's go. Sig, honey, keep the kettle on for me while I'm gone, would you?"

The tremors became steadily more frequent as they made their way up the hill again. The other Ed was in front, practically sprinting through the undergrowth. Al and Ed trudged behind, questioned incessantly by their teacher all the while.

"So… you're positive this boy is yourself? Absolutely positive?"

"No doubt about it," Ed said, rolling his eyes. "Believe me, I know what I'm like. The real question is what exactly he's been up to."

Al pondered that. Back at Rose's place, the other Ed had done a magnificent job dodging just about every question they'd asked. Sure, he'd told them about the Philosopher's Stone and given out a few vague warnings about homunculi and the state and that sort of thing – he'd also apparently _died _at some point, but Al wasn't sure if that was just symbolism. No other answers had been forthcoming. Just another sign to Al that, no matter which universe you lived in, Edward Elric was always impossible to deal with.

"He's from the future?" Izumi was saying. "How does that work?"

Ed shrugged. "He said some things were different here, so I guess it's not really the future. But the stuff he knows could really come in handy."

"If he doesn't ditch us and go back home," Al added, rather darkly.

"I wouldn't do that!" cried Ed, as if _he'd _been the one insulted. "I mean – he wouldn't. He seems alright, doesn't he?"

"Sure, but he cares more about his Al than about any of us. We're just duplicates to him."

Ed didn't have a response to that. They walked on in silence.

This time when they got to the top, half of the wheat field had been flattened. Not a good sign.

"Hey, come out!" Ed shouted at the open air. The words died on the breeze without so much as an echo, but from the woods on the south side there came an answering roar. They tensed as the trees shook and rattled. Al caught a glimpse of a tail waving madly up above the leaves. Then, all of a sudden, it burst out – a great green serpent, its back covered in fins and ridges, bigger than anything he'd ever seen before. It passed above them in a wide circle, almost like… what was it called… the Ouroboros? No time for dredging up textbook information now.

The head swung from side to side until it caught sight of the four down below. Then there was another roar, this one ear-splittingly loud (Al didn't exactly have ears, but the point stood).

They were expecting a fight, but instead the snake's form began to crackle and shudder as red flashes passed through it. "What's going on?" Izumi shouted.

"Just wait," the other Ed replied, his face tight. "I think I've figured out who this is."

The serpent disappeared behind a burst of red light, which flickered and condensed into a human form – a muscular young man with long green hair and an _interestingly_ tight outfit.

"I thought I killed you," the creature seethed, pointing a trembling finger at Ed (it wasn't clear which one he meant). "No, I'm _positive_ I killed you. You died right in front of me! Why the hell are you here?"

Ed looked as perplexed as Al felt. "Oh – that's him." He nodded at the other Ed, who waved awkwardly. "I actually don't have anything to do with this."

"What?! Don't lie to me, I know who you are!"

"Stop, stop," said the other Ed. "He's right, Envy. I'm the one you're looking for. And I'm not dead anymore, by the way."

"Envy?" said Al, remembering the name. "The homunculus you talked about? What's he doing here?"

Envy made a irritated growling noise in his throat. "Quit the chatter. I don't know why you Elric brothers keep coming back after you're supposed to be dead, but before I kill your dad I'm gonna finish the job here first!" He rushed toward them, beginning to change forms again.

"Watch out!" the other Ed yelled, transmuting a fist from the ground that hit Envy before he could shapeshift. "He can't use alchemy, so just watch out in case he tries to, I dunno, impale you or something – "

Ed and Al rushed towards Envy, only to find all their moves blocked expertly. "Hah! I figured out the two of you – three, whatever – a long time ago!" he snarled. Al finally got the drop on the homunculus long enough to ready a punch, but then he shifted into Winry – a stupid trick, but it made Al hesitate – and aimed a savage kick at Al's ankles. Izumi threw up a wall at the last second and shoved Al behind it.

"Thanks, Teacher," Al said, feeling embarrassed that he'd fallen for something like that.

"Don't thank me. Your sparring is horrible." She bent over and coughed before giving him a pat on the back. He couldn't feel it, of course, but the dull clanging sound was reassuring nonetheless.

Al and Izumi rushed back into the fray. Envy and the two Eds were still duking it out, too close together for alchemy to be of much use. Al was sure that, given enough time, the four of them could beat Envy, but he had a feeling that the shapeshifting would make things a little complicated.

This suspicion was proven correct when Envy changed form again a few minutes later, this time into Ed. "Oh, great," groaned the real Ed (one of them, anyway). "How are we supposed to tell each other apart now?"

"Just hit anyone that looks like you," Izumi advised, promptly turning around and flinging a different Ed out of her way.

"Ow! Teacher, that was – "

"That's Envy, don't listen to him – "

"No, _you're_ Envy!"

"Shut up!"

At this point the brawl descended into total chaos. Al waited it out and watched as closely as he could, finally catching a telltale red flash on one of the Eds. "Got you!" he cried, and punted Envy halfway across the field. Except it wasn't Envy, as he soon realized when a blade from behind sliced into him, mercifully missing his blood seal.

"Hey!" cried Ed, rushing towards the real Envy.

"Got you that time," Envy crowed, shifting back into his usual appearance. "Now I'll just need to bump off one of you blond bastards – " He dodged Ed's punch and ducked low to the ground, his hand morphing into… was that a _spike_? The other Ed really hadn't been kidding about impalement. "Brother, watch out!" he shouted, but he was afraid it might already be too late –

A black blur slashed through the scene, so quickly that at first Al thought he'd imagined it. But no, _something_ had definitely just happened. Ed was still standing where he had been, a baffled look on his face, but Envy stumbled backwards, blood spilling from a series of clean slits through his chest.

"Who was that?" he demanded, sounding more annoyed than anything at the sight of what really ought to have been a mortal wound.

A pale, dark-haired (and… very busty) woman sporting a bright red tattoo on her chest sauntered forward. "Well, well. I wasn't expecting _you_ to be the disturbance threatening this little town," she said silkily, retracting her spearlike fingernails.

"Lust?" sputtered Envy and the other Ed simultaneously. "What are you doing here?"

The woman – another homunculus, it seemed – raised an eyebrow. "I think I should be the one asking the questions here, don't you agree?" She narrowed her eyes. "Envy, or whoever you really are, these people are _off limits_."

"What's with dead people not staying dead?" Envy hissed, getting to his feet as his wounds sealed themselves. "You've got no right to order me around like this. I'm here to find Hohenheim, and no one's going to stop me!"

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," Lust replied coolly. "I'm not _your_ world's Lust. Lay a hand on any of these four, and we'll see to it that you die a horrible death. Oh, and you're coming with me." When Envy didn't move, she casually stabbed him in the forehead and began to drag him off through the field. At the rim of the woods she paused for a moment and turned to look at Izumi and the Elrics. "By the way… don't get up to anything stupid. You're needed here." Then she was gone, with no sign of her presence except a winding trail of Envy's blood.

It was quiet again. Both Eds were gaping blankly, and Izumi looked equally mystified. "Ed – do you know this woman?" she asked.

"Yeah, her name's Lust," said the other Ed, recovering from his state of shock. "She's dead in my world, but I guess the homunculi are up to something here, too."

"Could it be the same plot you told us about?" said Al. "The crazy lady with the red stones?"

The other Ed shook his head. "I don't think so. Dante doesn't exist here, for one thing. We'll just have to see." But the troubled look on his face didn't look quite as optimistic.

Back at the butchershop, Ed fixed up the gash in Al's armor as they settled in to continue the earlier conversation.

"I've dealt with Truth," said Izumi, "but this parallel-world idea could change everything we know about alchemy."

The other Ed nodded. "To be honest, I don't really understand what happened in the first place to get me here. It doesn't seem to fit with Equivalent Exchange."

"It's not too complicated," said Izumi, pointing to the flowcharts on the table. "The Al from your world must have used his Philosopher's Stone to reunite your body and soul and restore your limbs. Then you traded the limbs back along with your place in that world to reunite _his_ body and soul. You were supposed to go through the Gate when you died, and the only way for Truth to satisfy that while keeping you alive was to push you all the way to the other side. See? Simple."

Al stared blankly at the charts, which featured five pen colors and at least twelve different arrows. These other brothers sure were proactive. "It doesn't looksimple. And Brother, what does this have to do with your theory about Elric telepathy?"

"I told you, _that_ theory was something different!" Ed fumed. "Right now I'm just _hypothesizing_ that if you were to find your body in the Gate somehow, you could regain your memories of the Truth. You might even be able to form a connection to the other Al, since you both have a strong link to that place."

"But I would have to separate myself from this body, and the only way to do that normally is by dreaming. Which, you know, I can't."

They stopped to think about this for a second. "We could knock you out," the other Ed suggested.

"Um, how would that work?"

Izumi tapped her chin. "Al, let me see your blood seal." Al obediently lifted up his helmet. "Alright, just like I thought. According to what I've read, if one were to add more blood to the rim of the circle, the soul would be dislodged temporarily."

"Sounds kinda risky," Ed said. "What if it messes up the seal?"

"It won't," Izumi replied, "as long as the extra blood comes from a person other than you. And, well, I've been coughing up plenty if you need some." She glanced ruefully at the basin next to the sink, which had seen quite a lot of use this morning. "Of course, if you have a better idea, I'm all for it."

Ed turned to Al. "Do you want to do it?"

Al considered for a moment. He didn't want to think about the possibility of accidentally dying right here and now. But the Philosopher's Stone was a dead end, and if there was a chance, even a slim one, that this experiment might help him and Ed get their bodies back, he couldn't turn it down. _And _he might get to do alchemy without needing to go through twelve boxes of chalk every month. It was a grand opportunity. "I'll do it," he said.

They filed into the Curtises' small living room. Al sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and hands in his lap, just like Izumi had taught him years ago. The two Eds sat on the couch across from him, wearing identical looks of concern.

"Be careful," Ed said quietly as Izumi dipped her fingers in the bowl. "I haven't touched it since… that day. I don't know what's going to happen."

"Don't worry. I'll just put some on the outside – it shouldn't bother him at all." She gave Al her trademark squinty stare. "Stay focused. Find your body and get as close to the Gate as you can. And _come back. _Got it?"

"Got it," Al said, his voice barely shaking at all (what an accomplishment). Izumi stuck her bloodstained hand down Al's armor and very gently dabbed the area around the seal. Al gasped involuntarily, making them all freeze.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Al said hastily. "I – I can sort of feel it, that's all. Keep going." He _could_ feel it, by some miracle; not the true sensation of a person's touch, dimly recalled from times past, but something else – more like a dull throbbing in every place Izumi had brushed with her fingertips.

"Are you focusing?" Izumi bellowed. "I'm almost out of blood here, you know."

"Oh! Sorry, sorry." Al let his gaze drift, which wasn't nearly as conducive to meditation as closing his eyes had been back in the day, but it was good enough. The room went fuzzy, and he could feel his seal pulsating like a heartbeat, more and more strongly until it threatened to overwhelm him. He was in a dark tunnel, rushing faster and faster towards the light at the end – _that's it,_ he thought, _that's the place_ –

There was a flash, and he suddenly recalled something from years ago. Hands tearing at his body, his real body, while he reached for his mother's hand, pleading with a blank-faced white figure to _let me go, it was a mistake, just let me touch her again, please!_ His own anguished cries echoed in his ears. That was Truth, he realized, the same Truth that Izumi and Ed had talked about, and this was his memory of the Gate.

Color and words and pure knowledge had surrounded him in that memory, and for a second, he had known everything the world had to offer. _The circle is the conduit. _Al put his hands together, barely aware if he was inhabiting the past or the present, and felt the energy travel through him. _I… I get it, _he thought hazily, and he wandered near the edge of the abyss, to the gaping maw of the door to another world. The other side of the Gate.

Something passed him by, rushing in a torrent through the night. He felt it, and it was familiar to him in a way he couldn't quite place. _Alphonse? _he called out, but it continued on its merry way. Silly – there was only one Al out there. Everyone knew that.

The darkness receded, and he felt himself being pulled back to his body in the real world. Except… someone was already there.

**AMESTRIS-1**

"Here we are," said Izumi, pushing open the door to the shop. Al stepped inside and looked around. The place was just as he remembered it – the meat hanging from the ceiling, the wooden countertops, the positively ancient decor.

Sig put the luggage down on the floor and wiped his hands on his pants. "First things first," he rumbled. "Breakfast."

After several heaping plates of scrambled eggs and porridge, Al got to work. To be honest, the thought of being attacked and yelled at by his teacher wasn't very appealing, but then again he'd made the choice to come here himself. He wanted to learn more about alchemy, and there wasn't anyone in the whole world better at alchemy than Izumi Curtis. (Well, no one he remembered, anyway.)

"Transmute a dirt block," Izumi ordered when they got out to the backyard. Al dropped to the ground, traced the lines, and put his hands on the circle. A neat, if slightly misshapen, cube popped out of the earth.

"You're going to get pummeled with a form like that!" she shouted upon seeing the result.

"Faster! This is basic stuff!"

"Did I say transmutation _ellipse?_ No, I said _circle!_ Work on it!"

"Do it with your toes this time!"

Twenty circles later, Al was embarassingly out of breath and doing his best not to collapse on the massive pile of blocks he had produced. He'd done this exercise before, of course, back when he and Ed had first come to Dublith, but since then he'd gotten rusty. For the past few months they'd had been focusing solely on their theories for human transmutation, which, obviously, hadn't required much fieldwork. Still, he wasn't _that _bad, was he?

"Horrible," Izumi declared, as if on cue. "If the old Al saw you right now, he'd be ashamed, I'll tell you that much."

"But, but he's fourteen! That's not fair!"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're fourteen too, remember? Now get up and do some more."

Al missed Resembool already.

By the time they stopped for lunch, Al felt like he'd strolled through a warzone. He was sweating buckets, his arms felt like they were about to fall off, and his fingernails were full of dirt from drawing the same lousy circle over and over. "I think you need a break," Izumi observed, munching a sandwich. "Maybe I did go a little hard on you, considering this is the first day. You're not the fighter you were."

"I can take it," Al said defensively, bristling slightly at the comparison to his lost self.

"Considering that you barely have the energy to put your hands on the table, I doubt that." She rested her head on her chin. "Let's discuss your memories. Tell me the _exact_ moment you last remember."

Al scrunched up his face and thought back. It had only been a few days ago in his recollection. "Brother and I were in the room at the end of the hall. We activated the circle, and at first everything was going like we expected, but then it went dark. There was –" this part was harder to recall " – there was a lot of pain all of a sudden, and I felt like I was being dragged by hands somewhere. Ed said my name, and… then I woke up in the hospital. That's it."

"So you don't remember the Gate? Or Truth?"

Al shook his head. "What's that?"

"You're probably better off not knowing." Izumi made a face. "Anyway, based on what your friend Rose told me, I think I can figure out what happened to your memories. About a week ago, you had the Philosopher's Stone in your body, which you used to restore Ed after he passed out."

_In my _body_? Ew. _"I thought he died."

"No, not even the Stone can bring back the dead. You must have done it before he went all the way through the Gate. Then, once he came back, he gave up his life to bring back your entire body and soul."

"But it didn't work perfectly," Al pointed out, rather unnecessarily.

"Exactly. Whatever he gave up, it wasn't enough to do a perfect human transmutation. So to balance the equation, the four years you and Ed spent together were taken away from your soul. I suppose he thought those years were very valuable."

He missed Ed more than ever, hearing those words. "So… where's Brother now?"

"I'm sure he's still alive somewhere, or else the transmutation would have failed. Other than that… I don't know."

"Oh." Al stared at his bowl dejectedly and didn't speak for a moment. It was quiet. Out in the front of the store he heard the steady sound of Sig's knife pounding away on the cutting board. _Thump-thump, thump-thump, _almost like a heartbeat. Al sat up, suddenly remembering the visions he'd been having. "Teacher, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Hm?"

"Ever since I woke up in the hospital I've had this… empty feeling in the back of my head. I don't know how to describe it, but whenever I fall asleep or zone out, it's always there. Plus, I get these really weird dreams sometimes. Even when I'm awake." He thought back to the incident on the train. "I can hear my own voice talking to someone else, but it sounds different. Then it fades away."

Izumi furrowed her eyebrows. "That's odd. I suppose the emptiness could be the result of you sensing the missing piece of your soul, but I can't explain the visions. And – did you say your voice sounds different in them?"

"Yeah, it's sort of echoey. Like I'm talking into a can or something – " He stopped, suddenly realizing. Across the table, Izumi had come to the same conclusion.

" – or a suit of armor," she finished. "It's a long shot, but these could be your old memories, Al."

"Really?" Al's eyes lit up. "Then I've got to find out more! Can I skip the afternoon practice? Pleeeease?"

Izumi sighed. "Fine. We'll do some meditating after lunch. But first, wash your hands. They're disgusting."

Al looked at his dirt-caked fingernails ruefully. "That was your fault, Teacher."

"You remember the pose, right?" Izumi asked.

Al sat on the living room floor, cross-legged with his hands in his lap. He nodded and took a few deep breaths.

"Now focus on that empty part of your mind. Since part of your soul is in the Gate, you should be drawn towards it."

"Okay." Al closed his eyes and let his mind drift. The pit rushed up to meet him; it was all he could do not to get swept away in the blackness. He tumbled down further and further, seeing brief glimpses of things he didn't know and probably never would, but he wasn't here for those. He was here to find his memories and, maybe, his brother. Not even every piece of them – just a little glimpse was all he needed. That wasn't too much to ask, right?

There was a point of light up ahead, searingly bright in the darkness. _Almost there!_ He fell towards it, and it enveloped him. At first he was frozen, his eyes straining in the perfect white expanse, but then the light dimmed, and he found himself in… Izumi's living room?

He was sitting in the exact same way, on the floor with his legs crossed, but his body seemed strange and oversized, like Ed's big red coat hanging off his small frame. What was more, he couldn't move, and he felt as if his nerves had gone dead. The only thing he could feel was a throbbing on the back of his neck, almost painful in its persistence.

Izumi was sitting on the floor too, leaning forward and staring at him. On the couch was Ed… two Eds? They were more-or-less identical, and both were looking at him with the same concerned expression on their faces. If this was a vision, it was certainly out of the ordinary.

He held on to the view for as long as he could, but all too soon it grew fuzzy and dim. The throbbing intensified, and he felt something pulling at his edges, urging him to _get out, go back where you're supposed to, leave me alone!_ Al gave in finally and returned through the current, where he came back to himself.

"Well?" said the real Izumi. "Did you get anything?"

Al hesitated. "It was a clearer picture, but it wasn't a memory. At least, I don't think it was. I saw this room, and you were in it, and so was Brother. Except – " he frowned in confusion " – there were two of him."

"Definitely not a memory," Izumi decided quickly. "Were you in the vision?"

"I was in my body, but I was… really big. And I couldn't feel anything except right here." Al touched the nape of his neck.

"That's where your blood seal used to be," said Izumi. "You must have been inside the armor." She jotted down some notes. "Not bad for a first try. If you meditate more, you'll get better. I'm sure you'll find a way to access those memories."

"So… now what?"

Izumi grinned. "Back to the dirt heap, of course. We haven't even done sparring yet! To train the mind, you must first train the body!" She jumped up and strolled out, humming to herself.

Al flopped down on the carpet and bemoaned his sad fate.

**AMESTRIS-2**

On the other side, the second Alphonse crashed back into his body.

"What happened?" said Ed worriedly. "You sort of fell over for a second."

Al put his helmet back on, feeling slightly woozy. "I think I might have gotten my memories of the Gate back."

"Really? Did you remember anything important?"

"No," he admitted. "I saw a lot of the Truth, but there wasn't anything there that could help us get our bodies back. Oh, and I saw your brother."

The other Ed's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Well, maybe. I could feel him in my body – this one, I mean, the armor – when I was trying to come back."

"So we know he's alive," Ed said brightly. "That's something, right, other Ed?"

"Sure," the other Ed replied glumly, "but he's probably in bad shape if he's going around hijacking people's bodies."

"It wasn't like _that_," Al said, feeling the need to defend his other self. "He's been sort of connected to me for a while. You know a few nights ago when we were playing cards and I felt that weird presence? I think that was him."

They pondered this information. "Well, in any case," said Izumi, "that's enough to go on for one day. Why don't you three make yourselves useful for once and help me dust the shelves?"

"Come on, Teacher, that's not fair!"

"I thought we were here to learn!"

"Can't we do something else?"

Izumi very slowly turned around and gave them her best glare. "I _said_, dust the shelves." There was a pause.

"Yes, ma'am," they replied in unison.

That night, long after the lights had gone off all over Dublith, another family meeting was underway.

"So this is the creature you picked up down south?" said Father, examining the surly figure attached securely to a board via spear through the chest. "Interesting. I wasn't aware that the other world also contained homunculi."

Envy glared up at him and struggled against his bonds. "I'm not here to work for you, old man. I just want to get my hands on Hohenheim and his little snot-nosed kids."

"Didn't I just tell you we need them?" Lust snapped. "You'll stay here, where we can keep an eye on you."

"Can I eat him?" Gluttony piped up hopefully. Lust shushed him and turned to the rest of the group. "How is everyone else doing?" she asked.

Wrath shrugged. "Envy – our Envy, I mean – is still in Liore, but he'll be back in Central soon. Pride's reading bedtime stories with my wife. Greed… my forces are still out looking for him, but the whole business with Scar is a bit of a distraction. And Sloth's digging, as usual." He paused. "Father, is this new homunculus really from the other world?"

"He is," said Father, steepling his hands thoughtfully. "A few days ago I felt the energy of three massive transmutations, all around the same time. It is probable that, somehow, the Gate connecting our world to the other was opened ahead of time. Once for Envy, once for Edward Elric, and once for Van Hohenheim. At least, that's my conjecture."

"He's here, then?" Envy said, his head jerking up. The accompanying spurt of blood didn't seem to faze him.

"I believe so." Father gave Envy a calculating look. "You have some personal connection to Hohenheim, don't you?"

Envy went still. "None of your business," he growled. "And I could say the same to you – you're practically his twin."

"Indeed. But I'm willing to tell you my secrets if you tell me yours," said Father. "The Promised Day is in only a few months. Once I'm through with my sacrifices, I'll let you do what you want with them."

"You really want us to work with him?" said Lust, curling her lip. "He can't be trusted. I'd rather make bargains with the Fullmetal Alchemist himself." Envy seemed to find this hilarious for some reason, but she ignored him.

"No need for that," Father replied. "I just want information. After all, it'll be difficult to conquer the other Amestris if I don't know what's there, don't you think?"

"_That's_ what you're after?" Envy contemplated the situation for a while, then smirked. "Sounds a lot more fun than what Dante had in mind. I'll think about it."

The other three homunculi present didn't look pleased about this, but they had no choice in the matter. "Anything else to discuss?" said Wrath. "I need to get back to the house soon."

"Just some last orders," said Father. "Lust, I want that Ishbalan man disposed of before he gets to the sacrifices. Take Gluttony and get rid of him. Wrath, continue the search for Greed. And as for the Elrics, keep an eye on them – including the new one. Make sure they don't get too close to the truth. Or the Truth, for that matter. Dismissed!"


	5. Reminiscence

**A/N: **Sorry this is so short! School and all that, you know. Also, and this is entirely random, but if you have any thoughts at all about the story thus far, good or bad, please leave a review or let me know. I really do appreciate comments!

* * *

**AMESTRIS-1**

_Al and Ed sat at the dinner table, scribbling furiously. Formulas and test tubes surrounded them, floor to ceiling, lit by the faint glow of a stubby candle. Normally Al would have grumbled at the mess, but not tonight. Tonight they were going to bring Mom back._

_Ed looked up from across the table, and their eyes met. "Al… this is all my fault."_

_Wait, that wasn't right. "What is?"_

_"I'm sorry." He stood jerkily, and his face shifted. Now he was a little bit taller… his arm and leg were gone, replaced by metal… and now his hair was longer, woven in a braid… Al stared up at him in horror, watching each change flash by. "Brother? What's going on?"_

_"Don't forget," Ed gasped, doubling over. Blood dripped from his mouth and trickled down to the floor. "Don't forget, you hear?"_

_Al stumbled to his feet and ran to him, wading through piles of scrolls and charts, but the table was so long. When had it gotten so long? Far away, Ed – fifteen now, or maybe sixteen – grabbed the candle and held it up, illuminating his features. There was a shadow behind him, a shadow Al recognized. "Mom?" he whispered, tripping and landing on his knees. "Mom!"_

_Ed blew the candle out, and everything went dark._

_Suddenly Al was in a city street. It was evening, and one or two stars twinkled faintly above the lights. There were other people with him, but everything was so fuzzy –_

_" – kind of pub is this?"_

_"I know her very well – "_

_" – we'll talk more when we get there – "_

This isn't a dream_, he realized, and just then the street exploded._

**AMESTRIS-2**

Roy Mustang was sitting in his office doing nothing much, as always (it was 12:15, so there was still _plenty_ of time till forms were due) when the phone rang, making him nearly jump out of his seat. "Hello?"

"Hi, Colonel, it's me!" chirped a boyish voice.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Yes, Fullmetal, what do you want?"

"I was just calling to let you know that Al and I fixed up the situation in Dublith, and we're gonna be back in Central this afternoon with our full report."

He rummaged through his drawers and found the list of assignments. "About the serpent, you mean? That was due ages ago."

"What?!" the voice exclaimed with an outraged crackle of static. "I sent you a letter the day after we arrived! Didn't you read it at all?"

Roy thought back. He _did _recall an envelope from Dublith arriving on his desk recently. To be more exact, it had arrived atop the stacks of paper on his desk… the same stacks that he'd accidentally torched four days ago when Black Hayate had stepped on his pinkie toe. Oops.

"…Of course I read it," he said.

"Then you should know that the serpent didn't show up until yesterday – there was no way we could have found it before then!" Ed blew out a breath. "_Anyway_, I was wondering if you'd like to meet us outside the office when we get back. You know, to catch up on things."

There was no way the pipsqueak had any actual interest in Roy's daily life. This was probably a cover for some top-secret discussion. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yeah, you know the sandwich shop on Ninth Street? Al and I go there all the time. Can you be there at five-thirty?"

"Not really dinner food," Roy commented. He had a prior commitment this evening (a brunette this time), but he could clear that. "I'll be there. See you then."

"Okay, bye!" The line abruptly went dead. Roy put down the phone and grimaced in exasperation. Whatever prodigious talents Ed had, he was without a doubt a fifteen-year-old boy.

Hawkeye entered the room just then and put another sheaf of paper on his desk. "A request for prison inspections. They're asking for a response by tomorrow morning." She noticed his expression. "Is something wrong, Colonel?"

Roy rubbed his forehead. "Nothing in particular. Lieutenant, do you have any sandwich recommendations? I've got somewhere to be later today. And this time," he added quickly, "it's not a date."

* * *

"He said yes," Ed announced back in Dublith, hanging up the phone. "Hey, are you sure you want to tell him? You were the one who warned us about the government, after all."

The other Ed shrugged. "Yeah, but now that the homunculi are involved, the entire country could be in danger. And in my world at least, the colonel turned out to be a big help. Most of the time." Pretty faint praise, in Ed's opinion.

Izumi came out to see them off. "Leaving already?"

"The colonel wants my report, so I don't have much of a choice," said Ed, picking up his briefcase.

"Of course. Nothing less than expected from a dog of the military," she said, sniffing derisively. "Come back soon, if you can. If those beings on Seluna's Peak yesterday really were homunculi, then we need to find out what they want right away."

"Lust said they need us alive for some reason," said Al. "And she didn't look surprised to see two Eds, either. I don't think their plot is the same as it was in your world."

"Yeah, there isn't any sign of Dante here. I'm not sure what's going on, but hopefully talking with the colonel will help." The other Ed stood up. "Thanks for everything, Teacher."

"Thank me when you get your bodies back," Izumi replied sternly, drawing the three into a hug. "Until then, goodbye."

They walked off to the train station and settled in for another long ride. Ed normally would have used this time to take a nap or make notes in his journal or play cards (okay, maybe cards weren't an option anymore after the fiasco at the hotel), but this time they had things to discuss. Their car was empty, thankfully, so they could talk freely.

"So what's the plan?" asked Ed. "Even if we tell the colonel, I doubt there's much he can do to help us."

"There's the whole situation with me," said Al. "I don't really know what happened yesterday, but I bet we could use it to get some answers."

"Also, we need to learn more about the homunculi," the other Ed said. "We've only seen two so far, and one of them was from my world. There are supposed to be seven. Their identities… well, they might not be the same as the ones I know, but their identities are important."

Vague as always – to be honest, Ed was starting to get fed up with this. Since that first night in Liore, the other Ed's story had been full of missing pieces. He knew _he'd_ never keep secrets this big, so it didn't make sense that his other self was being so cagey.

Ed decided that he wanted answers, and now was the time to get them. "Hey," he said, sitting up straighter. "Are you ever gonna tell us more?"

The other Ed looked sidelong at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't even say that," Ed snorted. "You know what I'm getting at. There's a lot of stuff about your world you haven't been telling us. Who the homunculi are, for one thing. Why we can't trust the government. And what the whole deal was with our dad."

Al hesitated, then nodded. "I hate to say it, but he's right. If we want to fix this whole situation, we need all the information we can get."

The other Ed didn't answer immediately, instead staring off into the distance. His face looked very different all of a sudden, with an expression Ed couldn't ever recall using himself. "That watch of yours," he said finally. "You know what's in it, right?"

_Don't forget._ "So what?" Ed replied, his voice level.

"Then you ought to know that some things are really better off in the past." The other Ed's mouth tightened as he turned back to face them. "You two haven't seen the worst yet, believe me."

"Are you talking about that silver pocket watch?" said Al, looking back and forth in confusion. "What's in it – "

"Nah, it's nothing," Ed said hastily. All right, so he _was _capable of keeping big secrets, but this – this was different. Wasn't it? "And that has nothing to do with this. Whatever happened to you before, you can't just leave it behind. Isn't your whole goal to get back home?"

"If you want to put it that way," said the other Ed, balling his hands into fists, "then I really shouldn't be helping you at all. I've – I've got enough people to care about. This Amestris isn't the real one, anyway!"

They were shocked silent for a moment by this sudden outburst, which the other Ed seemd to regret already. Ed opened his mouth to retort, but Al beat him to it. "We're not real to you? How can you say that?" he burst out. "You promised me we'd always stick together!"

"I didn't promise _you _that," the other Ed muttered, though he wouldn't meet their gaze. "And it's not exactly a secret that I'd like to get out of here."

"Yeah, and?" Ed said. "As long as you're here, we'll stick together. That's what I would've done, anyway."

"I don't care what you would've done!" cried the other Ed. "I'm not you. I've already fought my battles. I saw nine thousand people disappear in a second. And that was _after _a civil war! I… I even killed people, okay?" Something seemed to shrink in him as he spoke. "Al's out there somewhere looking for me, and I'm sitting here trying to beat the homunculi again. Is it too much to just want to – to finish it all and go home?"

Ed couldn't imagine himself ever saying these things. What could be so horrible that he'd want to give up? "Look, this world isn't just some dream of yours. We're here, and you're stuck with us."

"That's right," Al chimed in. "And if you need anything, you know I'm always around."

"I know." The other Ed looked down at his lap. "I do want to help you. But I don't have to tell you everything."

This was probably the best they were ever going to get out of him. "Fine by me," Ed said. "Could you at least give us more details on those homunculi?"

"Okay. You might want to take notes."

Ed got out his journal and began writing. After a while (at least three stops on the train – just like Ed himself, the other Ed was really an unstoppable talker once he got going), he'd compiled a pretty decent list of facts.

- _Lust: obsessed with becoming human, also has spear fingers, she's decent I guess_

- _Gluttony: I dunno really, but he'll eat anything_

- _Envy: shapeshifter, a real jerk_

- _Greed: can shield up his body with carbon, tried to kidnap Al once, he's also a pretty cool guy and – OH, I just remembered he was in Dublith, we should probably tell Teacher_

- _Sloth: has freaky water powers, worked as Fuhrer's secretary, "Juliet Douglas"_

- _Wrath: stole my limbs_ _and used them to do alchemy, snot-nosed little psycho_

- _Pride: Fuhrer King Bradley?_

"Wait, what?!" Al and Ed cried upon hearing the last one.

"It's true," said the other Ed firmly. "I'm positive about this. He's been using the military to collect souls for Philosopher's Stones, and that's why he started the war in Ishbal."

"This is just getting weird," Al muttered. "No wonder you didn't want to get the colonel involved."

"Well, he's not working with them," said the other Ed reassuringly. "Probably."

Ed rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the window – he usually wasn't much for admiring scenery, but his head hurt too much to do anything else. Outside, the hills and valleys were rushing by, glowing in the late-afternoon sunshine. He watched them pass absently, wondering about all the secrets still tied up in this whole mess. The Philosopher's Stone, Ishbal, Izumi, the Fuhrer of all people… this was way too much. Ed almost wished he could go back to a week ago, to that sunset in Liore, when their goal had been as simple as it could possibly get. Now he hadn't the slightest idea where things were heading.

Well, never mind that. One step at a time, right?

* * *

At precisely 5:37 p.m., Roy Mustang walked into the sandwich shop on the corner of Ninth and Parker.

"Great, he's here," said Ed. "Colonel, I got salami for you."

Mustang wrinkled his nose. "I'm actually more of the lettuce-and-tomatoes type – "

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's make this quick. We have a special surprise for you waiting at the park, don't we, Al?"

"Uh-huh," Al said, sounding faintly resigned – probably thinking about the appalling certainty that they'd have to explain the entire saga yet again. Ed gave him a brotherly clap on the back as they walked out, only to hear a sharp clattering sound from the windowsill by the door.

"The flowerpot again?!" Al yelped. "Brother, this is all your fault!"

The three sped out the door before the shopkeeper noticed and made for the park, where Ed picked out a secluded park bench pleasantly far from any action.

"So what's this special surprise?" Mustang attempted his commanding tone of voice, which worked much less well when he was munching salami.

Ed looked around furtively. "I think the coast's clear. Hey," he said to the bush behind them, "you can come out now." The bush rustled, and the other Ed's blond head popped out from the top.

"Hi, Colonel, it's me!"

The satisfaction of seeing a piece of chewed-up sandwich fall out of Mustang's open mouth was enough to make the whole past week worth it. Even Al couldn't resist giggling a little.

"Wha – what's going on?" Mustang demanded, looking from one Ed to the other. "Who are _you_?"

The other Ed took a seat next to the colonel. "Long story short, I'm like Edward, but from another universe. There's a second Amestris on the other side of the Gate, and that's where I came from."

To his credit, Mustang took this remarkably well. "You don't mean the same Gate used for human transmutation?"

"Pretty much. I was trying to get Al's body back, which caused me to cross over. That's not what we came here to tell you, though." The other Ed twiddled his fingers a little nervously. "The serpent turned out to be a homunculus named Envy from my world, but he's not the only one here. Based on my experiences, I think there's a conspiracy in the government – I don't know what, but they need us for some reason." Remarkably direct. If only he'd been so clear with Ed and Al.

Mustang raised an eyebrow. "Homunculi? There aren't any records of such creatures outside of legends and alchemical theory."

"They're real, we swear!" said Al, crossing his heart earnestly. "There's some other stuff, but we didn't really want to tell you everything because you, uh, you might be one of them. Not that we don't trust you or anything, but…"

"No, I get it," Mustang grunted, looking a little put out nonetheless. "Any word on the leader of this conspiracy?"

"About that." Ed coughed and looked around. The park had gone deathly quiet with the coming of night, and the shadows were growing long. Maybe this wasn't such a good place to commit high treason. "Let's find somewhere else to talk."

"We just _got _here," Al complained as they set off down the main road, taking care to act normally (as normally as a giant suit of armor, a sandwich-eating officer, and two identical teenagers could act, anyway). The street lights came on overhead, and the sparse evening crowd was milling about under the stark glow. There was some pub around here that Mustang seemed to trust. It was just a block away; hopefully, once they got there, Ed could find some way to break the news –

_boom_

It was silent for a split second, as if his ears had popped, and the ground beneath him rippled like a pond in an earthquake. Time slowed to a stop. There was a grand white flash from the canal to the left – no, from _under _the canal, somehow – and then came the cracks, rushing outwards, coming straight for him, and all the while the noise grew and grew –

A sheer blast of energy sent him into the air. He looked down dizzily, seeing the rubble crashing down five feet below him in slow motion, and then he fell, landing on his side in a pile of rubble. _That _brought him back to reality.

Screams and blaring horns were sounding in the dusty air. Ed could dimly see people running around in the distance, but they were all too far away to make out. He tried to move and abruptly noticed that he was pinned under a chunk of concrete. And bleeding profusely, but that was the usual. _What just happened? Where'd everyone go?_ _Damn, if someone sees the other guy right now… _Never mind that. The other Ed could handle himself.

"Brother! There you are!" Al ran up to him and pushed the boulder away with relative ease. "Are you okay?"

Ed sat up unsteadily, his automail arm dangling limply. "Could be better. What about Colonel Bastard and other Ed?"

"The colonel passed out, but he'll probably be fine. Other Ed got beat up pretty bad too, but I managed to sneak him away before anyone noticed." Al sighed. "Some gas leak, huh?"

"Gas leak? Are you kidding?" Ed barked out a laugh, which dissolved into a coughing fit. "If there's one thing I've learned from those lame dime novels you used to read, it's that there's no such thing as a regular old _gas leak_."

"Hey! Those books are good!"

* * *

Lust stalked away from the scene, muttering to herself. Gluttony followed, sucking his thumb disconsolately.

"Didn't get to eat him," he sniffled, turning to look at the cave-in. "The Ishbalan man… dead?"

"No," she replied tersely, dragging him along. "He blew up the sewer tunnel and got away. It was just a minute ago, remember?" Ugh. Gluttony was alright as a partner in crime, but he was dumber than the dirt she was walking on.

She'd managed to stab Scar in the arm as he'd collapsed the wall, which ought to keep him down for a while (and maybe more than a while, if the tattoo there really was a transmutation circle). That was good, but it wasn't enough – Father had outright demanded to see the man's corpse for himself. With Scar gone, the sacrifices would be safe, and, more importantly, they'd _feel_ safe. The homunculi had all been counting on it, Father especially. Lust cringed inwardly, imagining the upcoming month of punishment he'd no doubt be giving her. Lair-cleaning duty was bad enough, but with that other Envy in there snarking at her… even a date with Roy Mustang would be better than suffering that indignity.

"What are we gonna do now?" Gluttony asked.

Lust sighed. "We'll call Wrath to tell him the news, and then we'll head back to the base."

"And then what?"

"Father's going to make us sweep the floors. Or dust the pipes. Or… I don't know, use your imagination."

The date was sounding better and better by the second.


End file.
